The Green Eye Newbie
by RandomFanAuthor
Summary: Percy Jackson is a delinquent. His mom has had enough and sends him to New York to live with his real father, Poseidon Olympiad, one of the owners of Olympus Transportation. A year should set him back on the right path. THERE WILL BE PERCABETH! Also, Leyna, Jasper(Jaisper? I dunno), Frazel, etc. delinquent!Percy T because that's what I can do.
1. Off to NYC, Oh Joy

**Okay, so I know I promised a prequel and another chapter to my crossover. That's coming, I swear. But I really wanted to get this story going. So, yeah. Here we go! **GO LOOK AT MY PROFILE FOR DISCLAIMER IF YOU CARE****

The kid sat in the jail cell, staring out into the police station. A police officer walked up.

"Jackson?" He asked. The boy in question nodded. "Your mother is here." The

lock clicked and the occupant walked out, escorted by the cop. In the waiting area, nervously pacing, was a woman of about forty. When she saw her son, she rushed towards him. The cop raised a hand.

"Ma'am, we need to get a few things done first." He produced a clipboard and pen. The woman took it and read over it. She signed her name, Sally Jackson, and handed it to her son. He read it.

_I, Perseus Jackson, understand the weight my actions. I acknowledge that any further actions in breaking the law will result in heavier penalties. _

There was more, but Percy just signed. It was bad enough he had ADHD, but dyslexia was probably worse. He handed the paper back to the cop.

"You can go." A bronze pen was handed from cop to former convict. Percy took it and shoved it in his pocket and turned towards the door.

"Come on, Mom." He walked outside into the cold Ohio air, walking towards his mother's car.

Reaching back, Percy flipped his hood up and leaned against the passenger door. When Sally arrived and unlocked it he hurriedly got in. Sally sighed and also climbed in. She started the old Camaro and they drove off. The first few minutes were silent. Percy stared out the window at the corn fields.

"Percy."

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Then why do you keep managing to get arrested?"

"I don't know."

"That's not good enough."

"I don't know Mom! I don't know why I do it!" His outburst caused a moment of

silence. Sally's next sentence broke it.

"Your father is aware of your actions." Confused, Percy asked,

"Gabe?"

"No," Sally said quietly. "Your biological father." Percy's jaw dropped.

"The guy that abandoned us?"

"He didn't abandon us, Percy. He is a very wealthy businessman. His company needed him."

"What company?"

"Olympus Transportation. He's COO of it and manages their water vehicles. His two brothers, your uncles, operate the air and ground parts. His youngest brother is the CEO and the oldest is CFO. They were about to get into some very complicated legal stuff and he had to go back."

"So he's a greedy money-man? Great." Percy leaned his seat back, trying sleep and to tell his mom not to talk to him. She took his point and they drove on in silence.

When they arrived at their home, Percy woke up. He quickly got out and ran into the house. Not because he was glad to be home, but because he was trying to avoid Gabe Ugliano, his stepfather. His hand had barely touched his room's door handle when he was yanked back. The smell of beer blasted into his face.

"How was prison, punk?" Gabe asked. Percy blanched.

"About as good as your I.Q." He retorted.

"Your rich daddy called. Said he wants to take you in. Hopefully for good." Gabe slurred. "Then I won't have to worry about another mouth to feed. 'S bad enough you act like a delinquent. You eat all th' food."

"No, that's your fatass eating it all. I have to break into houses to eat!" Percy yelled. Gabe socked Percy in the gut.

"Don't talk to me like that!" he roared. Percy fell and gasped for breath. Gabe raised his foot and kicked his ribs. Percy closed his eyes as the hits rained down

Ten minutes later Percy stepped into the bathroom. After his beating, Gabe had lumbered to his room and passed out. Percy peeled his shirt over his head. Bruises and cuts dotted his body. Old marks and scars overlapped, mixing with the new ones. A particularly bad cut ran from his shoulder to his right peck. Opening the cabinet beneath the sink Percy pulled out a bottle of neosporin and wiped it over the cut. Unwrapping some gauze, he wrapped it over the cut. A quick snip and he was all good. Turning off the light, he walked back to his room. Though room didn't quite cut it. It was more like a place for Gabe to dump his used beer bottles. Percy tried his best to move them aside, but they just rolled right back to where they were. He sighed and flopped into bed. The springs creaked. Percy listened to the wind blowing outside his house. The cold bit through his thin blanket, chilling him. He pulled the blanket closer to himself and curled up.

The next morning, Percy woke up very tired. He had spent the entire night trying to stay warm. He eventually ended up sleeping in his jacket. Sleepily falling onto the ground, he lay there, contemplating whether or not to go downstairs. Standing, Percy blinked and trudged downstairs to the kitchen. The smell of pancakes filled the air. Percy smiled. His mom made the best pancakes. Soft, buttery, blue pancakes. Percy loved the color blue and his mom went out of her way to make everything blue. Gabe had flipped out a few years earlier about how it was impossible for food to be blue. And so began the long tradition of blue food.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Sally greeted. She handed Percy a big plate of blue pancakes. Percy sat at the table, poured syrup all over his plate, and dug in.

"Percy, we need to talk." Percy looked up from his food.

"What?"

"We need to talk."

"About what?"

"Your actions."

"Yeah, yeah. It's wrong and I shouldn't do it anymore, blah blah blah."

"There's more." Seeing his confusion, Sally kept going. "I told you last night that your dad was aware of your actions. Well, last night after we got home, I called him again. He, he said he would take you in for a few months." Percy was stunned. His mom was sending him away?

"Why?"

"I think the reason you do these things is because of Gabe. And you don't really have any friends."

"One, you're right about Gabe. Two, you're also right. But I'm fine here."

"No, you're not. Your father, his name is Poseidon, lives in New York City. You'll be staying with him during and after winter break."

"But that's tomorrow!"

"I know Percy. It's for the best."

"Adults always say that. As if it magically makes it better. I don't want to live with him! He left us!"

"He had no choice!" Rarely did they yell at each other. They sat in silence until Sally spoke again. "Start packing. We're leaving at ten." Angrily, Percy stood and stalked to his room. Slamming the door shut, he sat on his bed. New York City? That was the complete opposite of Ohio. And it was eight hours away. Percy pondered this. No one would know him, save for his father. He would go to a bigger school. He could make friends. But he couldn't. The last time he had a friend, it ended badly.

"_Come on, Percy!" Luke said. The older boy ran ahead of Percy. They had vandalized a store that night. Nothing major, just graffitti. The storeowner was there, though, and saw them. She shouted at them, threatened to call the cops and the boys ran, abandoning their stuff. They tore between the buildings, trying to get away. As they came to a road, Percy hesitated. He can't run out into a road. It was much too dangerous. The speed limit was fifty-five. In the dark, they wouldn't be seen until it was too late. Luke had no such qualms. He ran out into the road. Halfway across, he turned back and yelled to Percy._

"_Come on, Per-" The truck came from nowhere. It hit Luke with a crunch. Percy watched as his friend was thrown beneath the front fender and bounced along under the bottom in slow motion. When the truck passed, it screeched to a halt, red illuminating the scene. Percy sprinted to the mangled body. Blood flowed across the road, streaming from Luke._

"_Luke!" Percy shouted. He shook his friend to no avail. Percy desperately felt for a pulse. Nothing. Percy looked back at his friend's face. His left eye was rolled back in his skull and his right forced open. His mouth was frozen in shock. Percy's vision blurred and his hearing changed to a buzz. He barely heard the driver running over, asking if he was okay. He hardly saw the red lights of the ambulance. The handcuffs snapped onto his wrists, blue and red flashing, taking him away._

Percy snapped out of the flashback. He looked at the clock. Nine a.m. Plenty of time. Walking to the window, Percy pushed it open. Quickly writing a note, he climbed out of the window and ran.

A few minutes later, he reached his destination. It didn't seem like much. Just the outskirts of the small village. Percy turned left and walked a few hundred feet. On the side of the road rested a small, blank, white cross with a long dead wreath. Percy fell to his knees. He pulled out a Sharpie and wrote across it.

_Luke Castellan. My friend. R.I.P._

"Hey, Luke. It's me. Ya boy. I'm leaving. My mom told my dad, my actual dad, of all the shit I've done. They decided to send me to him. So yeah. I might not be back for awhile. I miss you, buddy." Percy 's voice shook. He stood. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a red spray paint can. Luke's favorite color. Shaking the canister, Percy painted his friend's grave red. Except around the writing. He left that. Opening a switchblade, he looked at the engraving on the blade. Backbiter. Percy closed it and set it by the cross. He stood and walked away.

When Percy got home, he immediately packed all his belongings into four bags. Two suitcases, a duffel bag, and a backpack. He checked his pocket to make sure his lucky pen was there. It was. Percy put on his backpack, hefted his duffel onto one shoulder and wheeled the suitcases out to the kitchen. His mother was waiting. She took a suitcase and they went out to the Camaro. Gabe was waiting. He popped the trunk and threw Percy's bags in. Percy was digging through one when Gabe leaned down next to him.

"I won't say I'm sad to see you leave, punk. Because I'm not. You were just a waste of space. A waste of a human. I hope I never see you again." He snarled. Percy stood and glared at him.

"If I find out you mistreat my mother, I will come back and kick your ass." With that, Percy went to the passenger door and got in. Sally remained outside for a bit longer. She said goodbye to Gabe, reminded him to get some decent food, and got in. The car started and they drove away. Away from the past. Towards the future.

**Yes, I made Percy be from Ohio because I am. I also didn't want him to be from San Francisco. Ohio is probably one of the most boring states to live in aside from Cedar Point. R&R, por favor! I likey those. -RFA**


	2. A Soap Opera, Great

**Did I just post two chapters to a brand new story in one day? Yes, yes I did. Boredom will do that to you. Read it! NOW!**

Eight hours is a long time for an ADHD kid to sit for. Percy found himself staring out the window one minute and singing at the top of his lungs to the radio the next.

"How much longer?" he asked.

"We should see the skyline soon, dear." His mom said. Percy shut off the radio, looking outside eagerly. Trees and hills rolled by. Finally, Percy saw it. New York City. The City that Never Sleeps. The Big Apple. They drove along the highway on the outskirts. Percy wondered if he would ever get to go into the city. Eight million people and no one knew him. They merged onto a ramp taking them into the city.

"So where does mister rich guy live?" Percy asked.

"Tribeca. It's the most expensive neighborhood of the entire city. He owns two apartments in it. So try not to destroy anything."

"I don't!" Percy defended.

"I never said you did. Just try not to."

"Fine." His mother wove through the streets, eventually coming to a stop outside a tall building. It didn't seem like anything special. Glass and steel. A green awning over the main entrance read "Neptune Building". If Percy had to guess, he would put the height at nine hundred-ish feet.

"Big place."

"Yes. Your father owns it. He lives on the top two floors. Everyone else lives on the lower floors."

"Huh." Sally parked the car at the curb. Percy got out, gazing up. The sunlight caught the glass and the whole building shimmered green.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice said. Percy jumped. A guy of about twenty stood next to him. He had blond hair and blue eyes. Percy did a double take because this guy looked exactly like Luke. Percy glanced at the left side of the guy's face. Luke had a scar that ran from his temple to his cheek. He had gotten it when a dog attacked him. This guy had no scar. Percy noticed more things about the man. His posture was relaxed, lazy almost. Luke had always been tense. The man noticed Percy staring at him. He offered his hand.

"Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Apollo Phoebus, the doorman for Neptune Building. Let me take you stuff." Apollo went over to the car. He noticed Sally.

"Ah, hello."

"Hi."

"Are you moving in?"

"No, my son is staying with Poseidon." At this, Apollo frowned. He looked at Percy. Something about the kid seemed familiar… There. The eyes and hair.

"Holy shit! Are you Poseidon's kid?" Percy nodded. "Oh my god! Uh, here. I'll ring you in." Apollo sprinted over to the intercom. He punched in a code. A chime sounded.

"Hey, uh, Poseidon? Yeah, um, I think your kid is here." A garbled voice came out.

"Uh, hold on." Apollo turned to Percy and Sally. "What are your names?"

"Percy and Sally Jackson." Percy's mom said. Apollo turned back to the intercom.

"Their names are Sally and Percy Jackson. Uh huh. Got it." Apollo walked back to them. "He's on his way down." Percy felt nervous. His actual father was coming down to greet him. He felt nervous, but not.

A few minutes passed until a man walked out of the doors. He stopped in front of them.

"Hello, Apollo." Percy stared at the man. Was this Poseidon? He was about to say something when Apollo greeted the man.

"Hey, Hermes. What's up."

"Oh, not much. Just off to the office to take care of a shipping order. D'you know that Dad got an order for sixteen Thunderbolts?"

"Sixteen? Who ordered them?"

"Southwest. They wanted to get ahead of the competition."

"Sixteen Thunderbolts would do that."

"Yeah, it would. Well, I'm off."

"Have fun."

"I will!" Hermes walked off.

"Who was that?" Percy asked.

"Hermes Krioph. He's in charge of shipping all the products of Olympus Transportation. His dad, Zeus, is the aircraft manager."

"And I take care of watercraft." A voice said. Percy whirled around. A man dressed in cargo shorts, Birkenstocks, and a Bermuda shirt stood before them. He walked up to them. Percy noticed his mom flush slightly red.

"Hello, Sally," He greeted. "Been awhile."

"Um, yes, it has." Sally said, awkwardly. The man turned to Percy.

"Hello, Percy. You've grown."

"That happens when you leave for sixteen years." Wrong sentence. Poseidon's expression hardened. Sally gasped. Apollo's eyebrows shot up and he regarded Percy with a mix of admiration and fear. Percy held his father's gaze.

"Well, shall we go up?" Poseidon said after a moment of awkward silence. Apollo quickly scampered over and took Percy's suitcases. Percy hefted his backpack and duffel bag. He flipped up his hood, wanting to avoid eye contact from anyone else.

"I'm just going leave from here." Sally said. She shook hands with Poseidon, hugged Percy goodbye and she was gone. Poseidon turned to Percy.

"Come. I have much to show you." He went through the doors and into the building. Percy took a breath and followed.

The lobby was surprisingly warm. Green and blue tiled floors stretched out. White shapes were spread across. The lighting made it seem like they were underwater. Fish tanks were built into the walls. Hundreds of species swam around. Percy even saw a tank with some sharks. He looked around. People skittered around.

"All these people work for me. I call them my Nereids and Merpeople." Poseidon explained. "My family has always been fascinated with Greek mythology." Percy looked around. He saw a woman a bit younger than his mom walking quickly up to Poseidon. Her blond hair seemed out of place. When she got closer, Percy noticed that her eyes were gray. It was rather intimidating.

"Poseidon!" She yelled. Percy's father sighed.

"What now, Athena?"

"Zeus wants a new design of boat!"

"I just gave him one."

"He wants another!"

"Can this wait until tomorrow? I have a guest." Poseidon gestured to Percy, who looked down. She sniffed.

"Really, Poseidon?"

"What?"

"You know." Athena said. Percy glanced up. Athena regarded him with steel grey eyes. "He's yours alright. He has your eyes. Don't let him near my daughter." She snapped. Apollo sighed, as if this were a normal occurrence. Percy looked around, trying to ignore the bickering. His eyes rested on a girl about his age, quickly walking up to them. She had the same blond hair as Athena and the same eyes.

"Mom, are you done? I need to work on some architecture stuff."

"Alright, fine. Poseidon, we will meet at six tonight."

"But I-"

"Six sharp." She walked away, her daughter following.

"I'm sorry about that, Percy. That's Athena Chase. She's the lead designer of all our products." Poseidon explained.

"I take it you two don't get along?" Percy asked. Poseidon sighed.

"No, unfortunately. I think that I should have my own lead designer, but then she wouldn't have the one job she wants. It's bad enough Zeus fills these positions with his own kids." This left Percy wondering about what kind of family soap opera he had just been dragged into.

Poseidon led them to the elevators. He stepped into one, Apollo and Percy following. Apollo pushed a button marked "Penthouse". The machinery whirred and lifted the three into the upper parts of the building. When it dinged to a stop, they got off. They were in a small foyer. Poseidon pushed open the door before them. Percy turned around, not quite processing what he saw. His dad had the top two floors all to himself. This one was completely open. There were at least six couches scattered around. A table sat in the center of the massive kitchen. Percy looked up. A balcony jutted out overhead.

"Do you like it?" Poseidon asked.

"It's the size of my whole house." Percy said, taking off his hood.

"Let's go upstairs." Poseidon said. "I'll show you your room." He walked towards a set of stairs. Apollo followed, still hauling the suitcases. Percy grabbed his shoulder.

"Here. Let me take one."

"No, it's okay. I got it." Apollo said and smiled. Percy shook his head.

"I know for a fact that these are heavy. Give me one. You don't have to carry both." he said. Apollo handed the handle of one to Percy. He hefted it and they went upstairs. Poseidon was waiting for them at the top.

"Your room is on the left." Percy turned. He opened the door.

His room was undecorated. No posters, no pictures, nothing. The walls were blue and white. Percy set his bags down and walked further into the room. A queen-size bed was pushed against the right wall. A T.V. hung on the wall, with an XBox One X connected. Two massive windows looked out over the New York skyline. A door was in between them, opening up to a balcony. Two other doors caught his eye. He walked over to one and opened it. A giant walk in closet greeted him. What surprised him is it had clothes in it. He grabbed one. A Led Zepplin hoodie. He checked the size. Large. He put it back and walked back out.

"How'd you know?" he asked.

"What?"

"My sizes. And what I like?"

"Your mother told me. You have a very odd jean size." Poseidon explained, smiling. Percy cracked a small, half-hearted grin. He opened the second door. As he expected, it was a bathroom, gleaming white. He looked around, expecting a normal bathroom. It wasn't. The shower floor was a fish tank. The bath was a miniature hot tub. Percy walked back out into the main room. He nodded his approval.

"Looks good." Poseidon sighed with relief.

"Good. I'm glad you like it. Apollo, you are dismissed," Apollo mock-saluted and left. "Come, Percy. I would like to talk to you." They walked out of the room and into the kitchen. They sat at the table. Poseidon laced his fingers together.

"Look, Percy. I know you probably resent me for leaving you and your mother. I would like to apologize for that. I would have liked to stay longer, but business matters got in the way. We both know why you're here. Your mother could not handle that kind of behavior. You will be staying with me until this time next year."

"What?! My mom said it would only be a few months!"

"I'm sure she did, but before you left, she called me. She told me the reason you act the way you do is because of Gabe." Percy was silent. Sensing that he was right, Poseidon forged ahead. "So, your mother said she was going to divorce Gabe. That is a very long and complicated process and if you were there, it would likely make matters worse. This is for your own good, son." Suddenly, Percy's expression changed.

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't call me that."

"What? Son? You are my son and-"

"No. You haven't earned that right yet anymore than I can call you 'dad'." Poseidon's expression grew cold. Percy felt an inkling of fear in his gut.

"Very well. I will call your servant up."

"Wait, I have a servant?"

"Yes. His name is Grover Underwood." Poseidon got up and went over to a phone on the wall. He punched a few numbers. "Hello, Grover? Yes. Now, please. Alright. That's fine. Goodbye." He hung up and turned back to Percy. "Mr. Underwood is on his way up. He is bringing a friend, one of the other teenagers in this building. I have some matters to take of and then I have to meet with Mrs. Chase. I will be back around midnight." Poseidon went upstairs to his room. Percy sat at the table before getting up and walking into the living room. A scrapbook lay on one of the coffee tables. Percy picked it up and opened it. The very first picture was of Poseidon and his brothers. The caption read, _Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus: graduation from Harvard_. The date read 1999. Percy flipped through a few more pages. He stopped and flipped back one. A small child gazed back at him. Reading the caption, Percy's eyes widened.

_Perseus Jackson, my son. Born August 18th, 1993_.

Hearing a noise behind him, Percy quickly shut the book. He turned. Poseidon was standing behind the couch. He was dressed in a business suit.

"I see you found the scrapbook." Desperately, Percy tried to make amends.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" Poseidon stopped him.

"It's alright. I enjoy looking through there myself." A chime sounded. The two walked over to the door. Poseidon opened it. Two people stood in the entrance. A boy and a girl.

The boy had a green t-shirt that read '_We all live here. Don't treat it like it's yours_' around a graphic of Earth wearing sunglasses. His jeans were ripped in an unintentional way, dirt and grass stains all over the legs. His feet had red Converse on them. A red Rasta cap sat on his head. Then Percy noted that he had crutches. The boy's left foot was perpetually bent backwards. Acne dotted his face and a wispy goatee was forming.

Percy recognized the girl from the lobby. The one who wanted to work on some architecture thing. She glared at Percy, as if by existing he was everything wrong with the world. Her blond hair caught the sunlight and glowed. Her eyes were a bit scary. Her mother's simply analyzed and judged. The girl's eyes looked like they were analyzing Percy eight ways from Wednesday, seeing everything about him. If she could see his vital signs, Percy wouldn't be surprised.

The guy smiled kindly at Percy and offered a hand to Percy.

"Grover Underwood. Nice to meet you." They clasped hands. For a scrawny boy, Grover had a strong grip.

"Percy Jackson." The girl didn't say anything, she just kept glaring at Percy. When she finally said something, it was directed at Poseidon. She smiled, though not as warm as Grover.

"Nice to see you, Mr. Olympiad."

"You too, Annabeth." So her name was Annabeth. "Is your mother ready?"

"Yes. She told me that she will be in the Shark Room."

"Alrighty. I'm leaving. You three do whatever except destroy the building."

"Oh, I'm not staying." Annabeth said. "I have, uh, architecture homework." Percy snorted. She shot him a glare. Poseidon nodded as if this made sense. He entered the elevator and was gone.

"Aw, come on, Annabeth. What if I can't do something?" Grover pleaded.

"You have him here, don't you?"

"Hey, _him_ has a name."

"Yeah, I know. I just don't care."

"What do you have against me? We barely know each other!"

"When Poseidon told everyone that you were moving in, I did a search for the name Percy Jackson. You have quite a lot under your belt."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Three accounts of vandalism, five instances of breaking and entering, two attempted muggings, and you were suspected of murder. That's ten illegal activities. You've spent almost two years in prison, though you were bailed each time by your poor mother." The three teenagers were quiet for a moment. Then Grover started fanboying.

"So you're like a delinquent? What's it like? What have you done? Did you do any graffitti? I've always kind of wanted to do that, but my Uncle Pan won't let-."

"Grover, stop. Don't get any ideas."

"Okay, seriously. What did I do to you?" Annabeth glared at Percy frostily, then turned and left. The two boys heard the door slam shut.

"Don't get offended. Her mom, Athena, has this rivalry with your dad."

"He told me that he thinks each of the three brothers should have their own designer." Percy said. Grover nodded.

"She doesn't want that because it would basically put her equal to people that she doesn't want to be equal with. There's this one lady, Aphrodite Ourania, is big on fashion, and beauty, and yadda yadda, but she really wants to be a product designer. The doorman and bellboy, Apollo? He wants to be one too. Poseidon wants Aphrodite to be his product designer because for one, she's the most beautiful woman you will ever see, and two, she's like his second cousin. There's rivalries between everyone that works here."

"So Athena hates my dad, but he doesn't hate her back?"

"No, he does. Just not as much as she does."

"Athena no likey Poseidon. And by extension, she no likey me?"

"Yep."

"And Anniebell-"

"Annabeth."

"Whatever. She doesn't like me or my dad?"

"Well, she's okay with your dad. But you're gonna have to gain her trust."

"How does that happen?"

"Time. She watches people to make sure they're trustworthy. Once you have her trust, it's unbreakable. And she expects you to honor the same trust." Grover explained. The two spent a while talking. Grover mostly explained to Percy how the whole company operated and the relations between everyone. It astounded Percy that a company as large and rich as this was so messed up. Later that night, Grover left, but not after leaving Percy with a card. It had his name, phone number, and where he lived. Percy put the number into his phone, his first new contact in New York.

**Okay, so I spent some time figuring out the family dynamics for the Olympians. I decided that the Big Three are the patriarchs of the family. Athena is NOT Zeus's daughter. Basically, if they are a child of Zeus but also not Hera, they aren't related. So that means Percabeth is good to go! As for the last names, I just took other names the Greekies called them. I made up Olympiad because it sounds like a last name. Also, the only siblings are the Big Three. So ZeusxHera is NOT incest. Chapter three will come along later!-RFA**


	3. This place might not be so bad

**Heya, peeps! Here's a smol filler chapter. I don't like it much and honestly, I feel like I'm rushing the story. Also, my Leyna fic is gonna go on hiatus for a bit. But, enough of that. You're here for Percabeth. So here. **GO LOOK AT MY PROFILE, I DON'T WANNA HAVE TO WRITE THESE EVERYTIME****

The next morning, Percy fell out of bed. Still half asleep, he walked out into the kitchen. Grabbing a bowl and spoon, he poured a bowl of cereal. His spoon was halfway to his mouth when the door chime rang. Poseidon called from his room, "Percy, can you get that?" Slowly, Percy went over to the door. Expecting it to be Grover, he opened it. It wasn't Grover.

"Oh, uh, hi." Percy said to Annabeth, very aware he only had pajama pants on. "What's up?"

"Um, my mom was, uh, wondering, eh, if Poseidon could meet again to discuss, um, stuff." Annabeth stuttered.

"Uh huh. I'll tell him."

"Who is it?" Poseidon yelled.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled back. "Come in, he'll be down in a sec." Percy stepped back, allowing Annabeth into the penthouse. He went up to his room and pulled on a shirt. Poseidon walked out of his room.

"Annabeth? What's she doing here?"

"She said Athena wanted to meet again. I dunno why." Percy explained. Poseidon huffed.

"I'm getting tired of these damn meetings." He buttoned up his dress shirt and walked down the stairs. Percy followed, still rather tired. "Hello, Miss Chase." Poseidon greeted. She smiled.

"Hello, Mr. Olympiad."

"Where is your mother waiting?"

"In her office." Poseidon groaned.

"All the way there? Christ."

"She said it's urgent." Poseidon grabbed a set of car keys and his phone.

"I'll tell her I'm on my way. Would you mind showing Percy around the building? Grover is attending an eco-rally of some sort." Annabeth's eyes widened.

"Oh, no, I can't I have, um, a thing." Poseidon saw through the obvious lie. He pushed harder.

"But surely that can wait? Percy has only been here a day and you've been here almost your whole life. One day can't set you back too far."

"Well, alright…" Annabeth said, defeated.

"Excellent! Percy, if you need me, just call the office and tell them you're my son. I'll be back whenever I can." With that, Poseidon went out the door. The elevator dinged and he was gone.

Annabeth turned to Percy.

"Guess I have to babysit you now." she said, somewhat disgusted.

"Yeah. Shame, isn't it?" Sarcasm has always been is strong suit. Annabeth narrowed her eyes.

"Quit it. Just go change and meet me in the lobby." She walked back towards the elevator. Percy sighed. Great. He got to spend a few hours with a girl that hated his guts. As he went to the exit, he saw a trapdoor in the ceiling. He'd have to check that out.

A few minutes later, Percy was in the elevator, going down to the lobby to meet his hostile guide. The elevator dinged and stopped.

"Lobby." The automated voice said. The doors opened and Percy walked out

"Thanks, Josephine." He said. During his ride down, he had named the voice. Making his way to the lobby, Percy checked out the numerous aquatic animals. He noticed a small fish in the corner of one tank.

"I'ma name you Fred." He said, pointing at the fish. The fish did not reply. Percy walked into the massive lobby. There were noticeably fewer people, now that it was during work hours. Annabeth was sitting in one of the corner, scrolling through her phone. Percy went over. He picked up a pillow and threw it at her. It knocked the device out of her hand. She looked up and glared at him.

"The hell was that for?"

"I'm ready." He said, stating the obvious. She rolled her eyes.

"Come on." Annabeth got up and went to one of the many hallways leading into the building. Percy jogged to catch up, then slowed, keeping pace. They walked to a massive room. Percy read the sign next to the door.. It was in a semi-fancy cursive, but it was enough to play havoc with his dyslexia. He squinted.

"What's it say?" He asked. Annabeth stared at him scoffed.

"Are you stupid? Do you not know how to read? It says "Grand Ballroom"." Exasperated, she breathed hard through her nose and started walking away. Percy looked at his shoes.

"I'm dyslexic." He mumbled.

"What was that?" Annabeth stopped and looked back at him. He looked up.

"I said, I'm dyslexic. I can't read very well." Shock spread across the girl's face. Her mouth formed a small 'o', guilt taking over.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry. I'm kinda dyslexic too." Percy raised an eyebrow. Miss Smartie here was also dyslexic? Interesting. They headed farther back into the building. They passed four more ballrooms. Each was named after a different mythological aquatic creature. Pegasus decorated with a bunch of horses and such. Scylla and Charybdis were separated by a small hallway. And the last one was Hippocampus. Percy liked this one. It was painted in numerous colors, mostly green and blue. Annabeth explained that a hippocampus was part horse, part fish. The scales of the animals created rainbows at sea. Whoever designed this, probably Athena, covered the ceiling in holographic foil that seemed to shimmer with thousands of rainbows.

She showed him the pool, which was probably Percy's favorite place, aside from his bed. The gymnasium sized room held a kiddie pool with water jets and a slide, a lap pool, a diving well, a lazy river, and a general pool. A hot tub steamed in the corner. Percy gazed through the windows, wondering if there was a racing swimsuit in his closet. Probably.

Annabeth led him up to the second floor. This floor had more activity rooms. A full arcade and gaming room blinked and beeped. A teen lounge had poofy looking chairs. A small cafe emanated good smells and coffee next to it. A game room with a pool table and foosball was stocked with board games.

"This is where a lot of teens hang out whenever they're here." Annabeth explained. "The staff in this part are pretty chill and will hang out with us whenever they have a chance." They started walking back down to the lobby.

"What other teens?"

"Well, there's you and I, obviously. Grover is an intern, but hangs out whenever he has the chance. Guy workers are Satyrs, girls are Nymphs. There's seven other kids I hang out with. Zeus has two kids, Jason and Thalia Grace. Thalia's cool. She's one of my oldest friends. There's Leo Valdez. His dad is Hephaestus Olympiad, the head engineer. He works at an auto garage and repair shop with his brother Harley and sister Nyssa. They're all pretty cool. Piper McLean is another person who I hang out with. Her mom is Aphrodite. I think Grover told you about her. But Piper wants nothing to do with her mom. Her dad is an actor."

"Tristan McLean?"

"Yep. She doesn't like that though. So she just spends a lot of time with Jason. They both really like each other, but Jason won't grow a pair and ask her out. Frank Zhang is Ares Ultor's kid. He seems intimidating, but he's a big softie on the inside. Hazel Levesque and Nico di Angelo are Hades' kids. Hazel is really sweet and sorta has an obsession with gemstones. Nico is emo. He wears all black and believes in the supernatural. Hazel sorta does, but not as much as Nico. Both their moms died when they were young and Nico's sister died in an elevator accident about two years ago around Christmas. There's also Reyna Arellano. Her mom, Bellona Enyo, is the head of security along with Ares, they're half siblings. Reyna Puerto Rican and her dad was in Iraq. Frank's mom was killed protecting him. He went crazy from PTSD and was sent to an asylum. It weighs heavily on Reyna. But yeah, that's our crew."

"Lotta people. Must be fun."

"It is. We have parties pretty much every weekend. There's a bunch more people. The Stoll twins, Clarisse La Rue, my brother Malcolm. We call ourselves 'half-bloods'."

"Why?"

"Because at least one of our parents is this rich and famous person that works for Olympus. The other was someone who got roped into a fling. Hence, half-blood. Some of us are from here, New York, some others are from San Francisco, where the second main office is. It's also where our rival company, Giant and Titan Movement, is based."

"Sounds fun."

"They tried to take Olympus a few times, but they're all greasy, slimy, criminals. Their leader, a gangster named Kronos, got sent to jail. They're pretty much defunct now. But a bunch of their workers are still harassing us."

"Whoopee. Is it tough?"

"A bit, but it's fine. We're all tight." Percy hadn't noticed, but Annabeth had led him back to the elevators.

"Uh, where are we going?"

"Back to your place."

"Oh." Annabeth pushed the button. Percy noticed Fred the fish was now swimming around, though warily. The elevator chimed and the doors opened. Two workers were busy making out inside of it. They stopped.

"Uh, sorry." the guy said, both of them turning bright red.

"It's okay. Just get a room, yeesh." Annabeth grumbled. The couple walked off. Percy grinned and gave the guy a thumbs up. He winked. As the doors closed, Percy hit the button for the penthouse. The elevator started up. The gears clanked and whirred as it pulled the two teens upward. It was silent for a bit, then Percy broke the silence.

"So what's your story?" Annabeth stared at the floor for a few moments. Looking him in the eyes, green on gray, she told him her story.

**Again, that was a filler chapter. If you're new, go read my crossover, One snap is all it took. I have one chapter left and I plan on a prequel. I have the next chapter for this almost done, so uh, yeh. PEACE! -RFA **


	4. A possible friend

Her mother had met her father, Frederick Chase in college, at Columbia. He was a history major, a huge nerd. He was obsessed with World War One, going so far as to buy a few old planes. They bought a house in Virginia and got married. Athena was well liked by Frederick's family. Annabeth was born a few months after they moved in. During that time, Frederick became unpleasant. He had wanted a son as his first-born and was disappointed with Annabeth. Athena, however, treated her well, though not spoiling her. A year after, they had a miscarriage, which put more strain on their marriage. They tried one last time for a son and Malcolm Chase was born. Frederick pampered him, which Athena couldn't stand. Annabeth ran away a few times, not far, but enough to worry Athena. A couple years went by until one night, a phone call came for Mr. Chase. Athena answered it, only to find out Frederick had been cheating on her with one of his colleagues. A yelling match ensued that finally ended when Athena told the Chase children to pack their things. They drove to New York and Athena met one of her old boyfriends, Hephaestus. He managed to help her land a job at Olympus Transportation. Annabeth and Malcolm fit in with the other children and everything was good.

When Annabeth finished, they had arrived at the penthouse. Percy got off. Annabeth followed.

"Well, good bye, Percy."

"Hold on. I wanna check something out first." Percy went over to the trapdoor and jumped for the handle, but it was too high. He turned to Annabeth. "Give me a boost." Annabeth laced her fingers together, forming a step for Percy. He put his foot on it and put a hand on the wall. She lifted. Percy could feel her straining.

"Hey, you can set me down." He said to his struggling friend. Grateful, Annabeth lowered Percy.

"Let me try. I'm lighter." Annabeth said. Percy laced his hands together. Annabeth stepped on and Percy pushed up. He felt her hand rest on his head, balancing. His scalp tingled at her touch. She wiggled, trying to get the handle.

"I got it!" She pulled. "It's stuck."

"It's okay. I could stand here all day." Percy grunted. Annabeth's hand left his head to help the other pull. A loud snap suddenly cut the air and they tumbled to the floor. Percy was surprised to find Annabeth's face a few inches from his own. Percy felt her breath on his face. She got up quickly, jabbing Percy's gut. He gasped.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" She said. Grabbing Percy's arms, she held them above his head. Percy gulped in air, grateful for oxygen.

"Thanks." He got up. The door was swinging down and a ladder extended to the floor. Percy went up first. He turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it around the dark area. Pipes and wires were everywhere. A catwalk stretched out before him. Percy crawled up the last few steps. Turning and looking down the ladder, he said to Annabeth, "Come on." She hesitated.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Betcha you've never been up here before."

"I haven't, but what if it's illegal?"

"My dad owns this and you live here, right?"

"Yeah."

"So it's fine. Come on." Annabeth, still looking apprehensive, climbed up. Percy lowered his hand. Annabeth took it. His hand felt like it was on fire. Her grip was soft, yet confident. Percy pulled her up.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Percy turned his flashlight down the dark corridor. Annabeth did the same. They started walking on the catwalk, occasionally shining the lights in darker areas. Suddenly, Annabeth shrieked. Percy turned, looking for any threats.

"What?!" He asked urgently. Annabeth was as white as a ghost as she pointed.

"S-sp-spider." She whispered. Percy looked were she was pointing. A small house spider sat in its web. "Kill it! Kill it!" She screamed.

"Shhhut the hell up!" Percy said, desperately. He picked up a nail and poked the spider. It remained where it was. Percy blew on it. The web blew away and the spider fell to the ground.

"It's dead." Percy said. Annabeth was still white as a ghost. Reaching out, Percy took Annabeth's hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry about it. It's dead."

"Okay." Annabeth said softly. She gripped his hand so hard, Percy thought it would break. Percy help up his phone light. A small door was visible.

"Come on." he said.

When they reached the door, Percy pushed it open. They stood on the roof of Neptune Building. Heating and air conditioning units whirred and clanked. Pigeons sat on the small barriers. The cold wind bit through their clothes. Percy walked to the edge and peered over. The height made him dizzy. He backed up.

"We're at the top, alright." He said, over his shoulder. No response.

"Annabeth?" He turned. Annabeth stood on top on a heating box, gazing across Manhattan. Percy climbed up and stood next to her. The Empire State Building stuck out in the left side of their vision. Farther south, in Lower Manhattan, One World Trade Center loomed from the surrounding buildings.

"Look at it." she whispered. The sun was on its way down to the horizon. The sunlight bathed everything orange. It looked like the city was on fire. She closed her eyes and breathed. Percy stared at her hair. It looked like it was made of flames. It made her look seriously beautiful. He hopped down and Annabeth followed. They sat in the lee of the box they were on, somewhat protected from the wind.

"Alright, so I told you my story. Tell me yours." Annabeth said. Percy sighed. _It's for friendship._

Percy was born in Ohio, in a small village. The nearest hospital was nearly an hour drive away. So he was born in a bathtub with the doctor and his wife. No grandparents came, they had died in a plane crash when his mom was young. For a couple years, it was just Percy and Sally. Then she met Gabe Ugliano, a truck driver. He had gotten laid off and ended up at the local bar, drinking. Sally brought him to the house and helped him back on his feet. They went on a few dates afterwards and then they married. It wasn't anything fancy. They just went to a judge who declared them married. Sally had asked Percy if he wanted Gabe to be his dad.

"I don't want him to be my dad, mommy." Sally didn't know it, but whenever she left and it was only Gabe and Percy, beatings were served.

"Percy, he's a really nice man and I need this. He has money that we don't." Sally had said. Reluctantly, little Percy had agreed. Gabe was his step-father. The beatings continued. For every little thing Percy did wrong, it earned a new bruise. When Percy was thirteen, Gabe hurt him enough a scar formed. It was done by a broken beer bottle. Annabeth seemed shocked. She hugged him, albeit briefly. When Percy told her about Luke, she frowned.

"What?"

"Luke Castellan?" she asked.

"Yeah. You know him?"

"Kinda. His dad is Hermes." Percy's jaw dropped.

"That guy? One of the workers of the biggest companies is his dad?"

"Yeah. I met him before at a work party. He was nice and hung out with us for the week he was here. He and Thalia became really close and when he left, she was really sad. How do you know him?" Percy hesitated. Should he tell the truth?

"He's my friend." It was true.

"How long have you known him?"

"Awhile. We do everything together." Percy had to tread carefully. Obviously, Annabeth had a small crush on Luke. He didn't have the heart to tell her Luke had died a year earlier.

They sat up top a bit longer, talking. Finally, Percy checked the time. Five o'clock.

"We should go back." He got up and stretched. When he relaxed, Annabeth was staring at his midriff. Pretending he didn't notice, he offered his hand, Percy helped her up. They headed back through the tunnel and climbed back into the living room.

"That was fun." Percy commented. Annabeth smirked.

"Yeah. One problem, though."

"What?"

"How are we gonna shut that?" She pointed to the door hanging open, the ladder extended. Percy considered lying to Poseidon. What would happen? Poseidon wouldn't be too mad, right? As much as Percy resented Poseidon for leaving him and his mom, he didn't want to do that.

"I think there's a broom in there." He said, pointing into the kitchen.

"I'll grab it." Annabeth said.

"Nah, I got it." Percy said. He walked off before Annabeth could protest. Looking for said broom was harder than he thought. Percy opened closets, pantries, he even looked in bedrooms.

"Hey, Jackson!" Annabeth yelled.

"What?"

"I found it!" she said. Percy went back. Sure enough, Annabeth was holding a wooden broom. Percy slow clapped.

"Well done, grasshopper." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Shut up. Boost?" Percy sighed.

"Fine." Like before, Percy hoisted Annabeth up on his hand. She shut the door and tapped his head. Dropping her, he caught her, his hands around her waist.

"Uh, Percy?"

"Yeh?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Percy realized his hands were dangerously close to where she didn't want them. He quickly took them off.

"S-sorry."

"It's okay." An awkward silence filled the air between them. Annabeth's phone buzzed. She checked it.

"Shit. My mom's coming. Gotta go. See ya, Percy!" She ran off to the elevator.

"Wait, Annabeth!" Percy ran after her. She hesitated at the door.

"What?"

"Can I, uh, get your number?" She smiled.

"Sure." Percy unlocked his phone and handed it to her. She quickly took a selfie and entered it. Handing it back, she grinned at him. "See ya tomorrow, new boy." The door opened and she entered the elevator and left. Percy grinned.

"Yeah. You too."


	5. The gang's all here

**I'M NOT DEAD I SWEAR! There's a reason. My mom took my laptop because reasons. So I've been forced to use the family computer. I've also been slacking on school work and have been playing catch-up because the grading quarter ends like next week. But yeah, here's the next chapter.**

Poseidon arrived almost an hour later. The businessman walked into the kitchen, all the lights off. Exhausted, he stumped upstairs. Percy's light was on. He opened the door. His son was asleep on an armchair in front of the T.V. A game was on, Percy's character being mercilessly killed by computer opponents. Poseidon turned off the console and screen. He gently picked up the teenager and set him in the bed. As he walked out, he pulled out his phone. The older man felt guilty for not bringing Sally back to New York all those years ago, even though he was going to be married when he met her. Amphitrite Nereid was supposed to be his bride, and she was. They had been married for a few years, until she was killed in a car accident. Their unborn baby had perished with her. Percy is his only son and he would be treated like one. Poseidon dialed a number into his phone and lifted it to his ear.

"Hello?" Sally answered.

"Hi, Sally."

"How's Percy?"

"He's fine. He already has two friends. So far, he's been okay. Hasn't tried anything yet." Sally exhaled a breath of relief.

"That's good. I was worrying about whether or not he'd fit in."

"Oh, he will. There's about eight other kids about his age. Don't worry." Poseidon reassured her. Both fell silent, not sure what to say.

"Have you done it yet?" Poseidon asked tentatively.

"No. not yet. Soon, though. Gabe's been away for a week with some of his friends. It's been rather nice."

"My offer still stands."

"I know. Well, I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Poseidon."

"Goodnight, Sally." They hung up. Poseidon stared at the dark screen for a moment. He placed it on his nightstand and fell asleep.

A few days had passed since Percy's arrival and still had yet to meet the other teens. During that time, he hung out with Grover some more. They shared a few of the same interests, like television shows, bands, and movies. Percy learned more about Grover, too. He was a vegetarian, which somewhat threw Percy off, but got over it. Grover was also a pacifist, but could handle himself quite well. A downside, was that he would never play first-person shooter games. He preferred arcade games or Nintendo games. Despite their differences, Percy came to think of Grover as his best friend. This particular day, the pair were in Percy's room. Grover had brought his Nintendo Switch and was playing Super Smash Bros. while Percy played Halo 3 online.

"I can't imagine why anyone would play that." Grover wrinkled his nose. "It's so violent."

"Dude, it's really not that bad. It should be rated Teen. Like, the only remotely disturbing thing is the Flood. Damn things are so annoying."

"Still. You're killing living things."

"Puh-leeze. You play Super Smash."

"But no one dies!"

"Uh-huh, yeah. Falling off a floating island and exploding in a blastof light totally isn't death."

"It's not! They respawn in one piece and don't get shot up." As he said this, Percy's avatar was gunned down by another player.

"Dammit!" Percy yelled. He glared at his friend, who smirked. "We respawn too, see?" Percy's screen showed his avatar in one piece, ready to go. Grover sighed. There was no reasoning with him.

"Smash doesn't have any blood." Grover pointed out. Percy shook his head.

"That's why it's boring." A few minutes passed until the end of the game. Percy's team, Blue, had won, 150-47. Percy turned off the console.

"Now what?" he asked. Grover gestured to his device.

"Play me."

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because I'll lose."

"So? We can practice."

"You mean you just want to humiliate me?"

"That too. Though I will point out you did the same to me when you made me play Minecraft."

"Touché." Percy sat next to his friend. Grover booted up the game. They played for a good thirty minutes. Each time, Grover won, but Percy lasted longer. Then, something happened.

Percy was trying to get his character, Incineroar, out of the way of Grover's Bowser. Grover attacked and missed. Quickly, Percy moved in and frantically pressed buttons and moved the joystick. As he moved his stick to the left, he hit one of the attack buttons. Red lightning flew from the point of impact and Bowser was knocked off the stage faster than they could see. A red blast of light erupted from where he was went and a life was deducted. Percy paused the game, both boys in shock.

"What just happened?" Percy asked.

"I believe you just took a life." Grover said, smiling.

"Yes! Hell yeah!" Percy yelled. "I took a life!" He jumped up and danced around. "Ha-haa! Yeah, baby!" he sat, grinning like a madman. "I have zero idea how I did that."

"It was your side-smash."

"Huh?" Grover explained the different attacks. After he finished, Percy nodded thoughtfully.

"So I just found the win button?"

"Evidently." Percy smiled.

"Sweet." He unpaused it. Another couple minutes passed, with Grover ultimately winning. Percy shook his friend's hand.

"Well done, as always."

"You too. Though I should add, I'm not the best. I'm mediocre at best. The best player I know is Leo Valdez."

"Yeah, Annabeth told me about him and your group."

"Did she?"

"A few days ago. She gave me a tour." As Percy said this, his phone buzzed. He heard Grover's ring at the same time. They checked it. It was Annabeth.

_Kinda bored. Pool at Neptune?_ Percy began typing back, but another message popped up.

_Yeah!_ Percy looked at the number. It wasn't in his phone. More messages came.

_I'm down._

_eh, fine._

_I don't have anything better to do. _

_do i have to?_

_Yeah, do we have to?_

_Im bored AF. might as well_

_I'll be there._

Confused, Percy turned to Grover.

"Who are these people?" he asked. Grover showed him the screen. Apparently, Annabeth had made a groupchat with Percy, Grover, herself, and the other eight people. Percy nodded in understanding and sent a reply back.

_Newbie here. Thatd be cool_. A reply from Annabeth came.

_Great! Be here in twenty._

"You comin'?" Percy asked Grover. He shook his head.

"I'm not the best swimmer and I have to work. I'll take you down to the lobby, at least, to meet Annabeth." Grover left the room so Percy could change. He walked into the closet and found some pairs of swim trunks.

This was hard. Meeting new people was difficult enough, but at a pool, it was even harder. For one, the only thing you're in is a skimpy piece of basically rubber. Percy narrowed down the choices to two suits. A blue one with white wave designs on it and a green-blue with fish.

"Hey, G-man!"

"What?"

"C'mere!" Grover clacked his way into Percy's room.

"What's up?"

"I need your help. Which one?" Percy gestured to the two suits.

"Well, from a guy's point of view, the blue one looks better. But I know for a fact Annabeth's favorite color is green."

"But I don't like that one." Percy said. "And what does Annabeth have to do with this?"

"Nothing, I'm just saying her favorite color is green." Percy sighed and grabbed the blue suit.

"I choose this one."

"Whatever." Grover left. Percy changed and grabbed a white beach towel. He went downstairs to the kitchen were Grover was waiting. The friends walked to the elevator. A few minutes later, they emerged and Percy noticed Fred the fish was swimming around happily.

"Nice job, little buddy."

"Who are you talking to?" Grover asked. Percy pointed to the fish.

"Fred." Grover rolled his eyes.

"Do you really have to name fish?"

"Yeah. I also named the elevator lady Josephine." This statement sparked a longer, rather animated discussion between the two as to when it's appropriate to name things.

"...and that's why humans do it. Because we see humans in everything." Percy finished. Grover sighed.

"Oh, look. Annabeth." The person in question was waiting for them.

"Hey guys. What're you talking about?" She asked. Percy couldn't help but stare at her. She had on a sweatshirt that read "Columbia University".

"Percy keeps naming things. He named the elevator's voice Josephine and he named a fish Fred."

"Is that bad?"

"No, but people will think you're crazy."

"Bold of you to assume I'm not." Percy said. Annabeth laughed. Grover threw his hands up.

"I'm done! Annabeth, he's yours." Grover headed off.

"Bye, Goat Boy!" Annabeth called. She began walking to the pool. Percy followed.

"Goat Boy?"

"Yeah. His favorite animal is a goat. He eats about as much as one, too."

"Kind of a weird nickname."

"We all have one." The pair reached the pool area and went in. If anything, it was bigger inside than from the outside. Percy set his stuff onto a table.

"Hey, where's the locker room?" Annabeth gestured vaguely, already engrossed in a book. Percy looked where she had pointed and headed over. He went into the bathroom part with all the mirrors, he took off his shirt. From the front, it looked normal enough, but his back was a different story.

Old, pale scars criss-crossed his back. The largest ran from his left shoulder to his spine. It was white and knobbly. Percy knew the others would be horrified by this, so in preparation he had come up with a lie. He had fallen out of a tree and a broken branch had slashed him. It was a solid lie and seemed reasonable enough. Voices came from behind the door leading into the pool area. Quickly, Percy threw on his shirt and ran into a stall. The door opened and some other guys walked in.

"...therefore, Thanos is the hero!" One said. He spoke with a slight Texan twang.

"You're just wrong, Leo. What kind of hero murders half the universe, eh?" Definitely a Canadian. Texan's name was apparently Leo.

"The best kind." Softer, but still loud to be heard.

"Nico, could you please not be dark for five minutes?!" Leo said in a terrible Irish accent. Percy had to stifle his laughter at that. Nico sighed.

"Leo, could you and Frank not talk about Marvel?" This one was stern and sounded like a dad. Percy detected a slight lisp.

"Pssh, no."

"That's a tall order, Jace." Lispy, or Jason, tried to say something, but was drowned out by his friends. The bickering continued until Percy flushed the toilet. They quieted.

"Someone's here." Leo said, whispering. Shadows hovered behind the stall door. Percy saw a head cover the gap between the door and partition.

"Could you not?" Percy asked. The head pulled away. More whispering, to soft and inaudible to be heard.

"Y'wanna come out?" Frank's voice asked.

"I guess." Percy said. He opened the door. The four guys stood in front of him, sizing him up. One was tall and blond, with gold framed glasses. The other tallest looked Asian and looked somewhat like a pro wrestler had a bit of baby face. A mass of curly hair bounced up and down. It sat on the head of a kid who looked like he had caffeine for blood. He grinned infectiously. The last kid had black hair covering his eyes. Both of them were shorter than the other two. Blond spoke first.

"Who are you?"

"Your mom." Percy said. Curly snorted.

"No, you aren't. I think his mom is a girl."

"Don't assume my gender!" Percy said in a girly voice. "I'm a tri-gender unicorn."

"Uh-huh. And I'm an attack helicopter. Better known as Leo Valdez."

"Well, guess we're doing introductions now." Blond said. He stuck out his hand. "Jason Grace. Nice to meet you." Percy shook it.

"Percy Jackson." They dropped hands. Asian Guy offered a fist, though it was somewhat timid.

"Frank Zhang."

"No offense, but that's not a very Asian name." Frank shrugged.

"I know." Percy turned to the black haired guy. He looked down. Jason elbowed him. He grunted.

"Nico di Angelo. Don't expect a handshake." Percy nodded.

"He's emo. Don't take offense." Leo said. Nico glared at him.

"How many times have I told your dumbass, I'm not emo."

"But you wear black, you're extremely pessimistic and fatalistic, and you have an obsession with the dead. Seems pretty damn emo." Leo said. In response, Nico slugged Leo in the arm. Jason pushed Leo back.

"Let's go out to the pool. The girls are probably waiting. Nice meeting you, Percy."

"Actually, I'm here swimming too."

"Oh! Are you that new kid Annabeth mentioned?" Frank asked. Percy nodded.

"Yeah."

"Oh, sweet! Well, welcome to our crew, I guess." Leo said.

"Guys, come on. They're waiting." Jason urged. The boys began walking to the door.

"You just wanna see Pipes in a swimsuit." Leo said, grinning like a madman. Jason turned bright red.

"No, I don't."

"Uh-huh." Leo said skeptically. Turning to Percy. He stage whispered, "Jason has a crush on Piper McLean."

"Shut the hell up, Valdez."

"It's true!" Leo sang, dancing out the door and into the pool area. As he neared the side, he slipped in a puddle and fell into the deep diving well. He floundered. Quickly, Percy dove in and swam to him. Hooking his arms under Leo's arms, he kicked up. Leo's head broke the surface just before Percy's. Leo gasped. Laying flat, Percy made his way to the wall. The boys helped Leo out, who began coughing heavily. Some girls ran over, Annabeth with them. They crowded Leo, asking if he was okay. Percy got out.

"Hold on, guys. Back up. Give him some room," Leo sat and kept coughing. Everyone backed up. Percy knelt next to his new friend and hit his back a bit to help get the water out. "You good?" Leo nodded.

"Yeah." He rasped. Percy stood and helped him up. Everyone was staring at them.

"What?" He asked.

"You just saved Leo." One girl said. Percy shrugged.

"He couldn't swim."

"Do you even know each other?" Another girl asked. Percy shook his head.

"Guys, I'm okay, I swear." Leo said. "Aquaman's a pretty good swimmer." Annabeth clapped her hands twice.

"Let's go over to the hot tub." Everyone went, though not without a few glances at Percy. The girl who had spoken up first fell back with Percy. She was really pretty. Her eyes seemed to change color.

"So you're the new guy, huh?"

"Yep."

"You'd better be prepared for all the shenanigans we get into here."

"Yeah, Annabeth's told me. Apparently you guys have parties?" The girl laughed.

"Yeah, but not that often. I'm Piper McLean." She offered her hand. Percy took it. Her grip was strong.

"Like Tristan McLean?" Piper's expression hardened. Percy could tell he hit a sensitive spot.

"Yeah. I prefer not to bring attention to that. It makes me feel like I'm above everyone. I don't want that." As they walked over to the group, Percy noticed Jason looking at them. His brow furrowed. Percy took the hint and went to talk to Frank. Jason looked relieved and he started talking to Piper.

"Hey, big guy." Percy greeted. Frank turned.

"Oh, hey, Percy."

"How long as Jason liked Piper?"

"Quite awhile, why?"

"Eh, curious."

"You got a thing for her?"

"No! Since I'm new, I just wanna be up to date on the stuff between you guys."

"Gotcha. You want it explained?"

"Later. I'll try to figure it out on my own." Percy watched his new acquaintances mess around. One girl stood out and Percy thought he recognized her. She had Nico in a headlock and was knuckling his head while everyone else watched and laughed.

Her hair was black with some blue tips. A splash of freckles dotted her face. Her eyes were the same color as Jason's, electric blue. She wore a black jacket over a dark blue one-piece swimsuit. Percy really felt like he had seen her before.

"Who's that?" he asked Frank.

"Who?"

"The girl torturing Nico."

"Oh, Thalia Grace. She's Jason's sister." When Frank said her name, Percy was thrown into the past.

_Luke had just gotten back from New York. He and Percy were sitting in the branches of a tree and Luke was telling Percy all about his trip._

"_I went up to the top of the Empire State Building. You can see for miles around. And the Statue of Liberty was cool. The subways are a mess, but they somehow manage to make it work. Dude, it was the best. And I met someone."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yeah. My dad's coworkers kid. Specifically his boss's. Look." Pulling up a picture on his phone, Luke handed it to Percy. It showed Luke sitting next to a girl, laughing and smiling. The girl looked punk. Black leather jacket, black ripped jeans, and a button that said "Punk is not dead. You are."_

"_Cool. What's her name?"_

"_Thalia. She's amazing."_

"_Huh."_

"_We hung out the whole time together. Like, wherever I went, she went. Even bed." Luke said, grinning. Percy's eyes widened._

"_Wait, you had sex?" Luke nodded, still smiling. "Dude, nice!" He high fived his friend and the friends laughed._

"Hey, Percy, you good?" Frank waved his hand in front of Percy's face.

"Whuu?"

"Dude, you just zoned out for a hot minute. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"Alright, because everyone's getting into the hot tub." Frank said. Percy looked over. Sure enough, the other seven were getting into the steaming water. Percy and Frank walked over. Frank hopped in and sat next to Jason and a young looking African-American girl. Percy looked around. Seeing a spot next to Annabeth, he waded in. The hot water tingled his skin. Making his way through, he plunked down next to the blond girl. She smiled at him. Then she addressed the group.

"Guys, this is Percy Jackson." she said. "He's new, so don't kill him."

"Damn."

"Reyna, I know you want to, but chill." Annabeth said. Reyna frowned..

"Hey, new boy." she said. Reyna appeared to be of Hispanic origin. Percy recalled Annabeth saying that she was from Puerto Rico. Percy glanced over the other people. Everyone was talking to someone. Frank was discussing something with that younger girl. Nudging Annabeth, Percy asked, "Who's that Frank's talking to?"

"Oh, that's Hazel Levesque. She's really sweet and pure. I think her and Frank are dating already. They're both so adorable." Annabeth said. As they watched, Hazel laughed and put her head on Frank's shoulder. Frank looked pretty happy about it. Percy saw Thalia was still messing with Nico, much to the amusement of Leo and Reyna.

"What about Thalia?"

"What about her?" Annabeth replied.

"I dunno. Like, why's she killing Nico?"

"She does that all the time. Her dad Zeus, is the youngest Olympiad brother, after your dad and Nico's, Hades. He's the oldest of the three, but Nico is younger than at least Thalia."

"How old is he?"

"Fourteen."

"Yep, he's younger than both of us. How old is Thalia?"

"I think eighteen."

"Yeah, she oldest."

"What're you?"

"Seventeen." After that, not much was said between them. Everyone continued to chat until Leo got out and leaped into the pool. Percy jumped up, in case Leo needed saving again. Luckily, Leo resurfaced and quickly swam back.

"Holy shit it's cold! he shrieked. Everyone laughed. Leo leaped back into the hot tub. "Much better." he sighed. The group sat for a bit longer until Percy got out.

"I'm getting into the pool." he announced. "Anybody else want to?"

"Sure." Annabeth said and climbed out. Thalia followed, along with Nico and Piper. Jason followed Piper out. Everyone got in except Percy. He smiled and walked back from the side.

"Cannonball!" he shouted and ran to the edge. Leaping out, he hugged his legs close to his body. The impact sent a splash outwards, catching everyone. Percy sank down. He opened his eyes and swam up. Everyone was splashing. Percy caught Annabeth's eye. They grinned. Percy splashed her. She scowled and splashed back. A splash fight ensued, everyone laughing. But Percy was probably the happiest. For the first time, he had a group of friends to be with.

**I wanted Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover to have known Luke before, so I figured the easiest way was "they met at a work party". As for the brief Thuke mention, when a couple has sex for the first time, that usually means they love each other very much. That's gonna be important later. *wink, wink* But not like that, you dirty minded freaks. Jeez. Anywhoo, I've been thinking about another story. It's gonna be a Star Wars fanfic following a Gray Jedi who left the Order during the final stages of the Clone War and through Order 66. So if you like Star Wars, keep an eye out for that. Anyway, PEACE! -RFA**


	6. From Okay, to Mediocre, to Horrible

**YOU GUYS I AM SO SORRY! FF just wouldn't let me post for the LONGEST time and I was freaking out because I KNOW people freakin read these and I felt like I was letting you all down. But hey, I got like, six chapters done.**

Percy was coming onto two weeks in New York. Which meant it was almost Christmas. Which meant he had to get gifts for his friends. He was not looking forward to it. Grover assured him it would be fine.

"Annabeth organizes a full day shopping trip."

"Oh, god. Shopping for an entire day? That's torture!"

"Ya think?" So Percy dreaded that day. Then it came.

The bane of most guys was shopping in a mall. It took forever, girls never carried their own bags, they also took forever in the stores, and malls in general are loud and confusing. Such was the fate that faced Percy, Jason, Leo, Frank, and Nico. While the girls forged ahead from store to store, they were lagging behind, bags bumping against their legs. Frabk groaned.

"Why do subject ourselves to this?"

"Not our choice. If we refused, Annabeth would kill us." Jason grunted. Piper's bags, filled with shoes boxes and other boxes, hit his shins.

"We're already getting murdered by these damn bags." Percy said. Annabeth had found a multi-pack of pencils and they stabbed his thighs. Nico shuffled behind them, his black hoodie zipped up and the hood over his head. Leo puttered around, free of baggage. He was obsessed with the little stalls in the center of the concourse.

"Guys! Look!" He held up a small object.

"What is it?" Jason asked.

"It's a phone case that has a built-in flashlight. It charges up with solar panels and stores power until depleted." the clerk said.

"I'll take it," Leo said, eagerly. He fished out his wallet from the tool belt he always wore. "How much is it?"

"Nineteen bucks." Leo slid a twenty across the counter.

"Keep the change, man." Leo said. The guy smiled.

"Thanks."

"Come on, you guys!" Piper called. The boys hurried to catch up to the waiting shoppers.

"Alright, here's the plan." Annabeth said, pulling out a map.

"Did you seriously plan out this whole trip?" Thalia asked. Annabeth nodded. "Of course you did."

"Anyway, we're gonna go to the food court and eat. Boys, you have thirty minutes to get whatever you need or want."

"Forty-five?!" Percy yelped.

"Yeah. Is that bad?" Reyna asked. Percy shook his head.

Percy was somewhat intimidated by Reyna. He knew her dad had served in Iraq, alongside Canadian forces and Frank's mom. After returning, Mr. Arrellano's PTSD had gotten the best of him and he went insane. Reyna's mom, Bellona, brought her and her sister, Hylla, to New York. Hylla graduated college and applied for a position in Amazon. That was all Percy knew. But that wasn't why he was scared of her. She had an open carry permit and a Sig Sauer 9mm was in her handbag at all times. She knew how to use it, too.

"No, but considering we've been here for almost four hours, I think we should get at least forty-five." Frank reasoned. Annabeth considered.

"Fine. Forty-five. Let's go to the court." Percy and his two friends hefted the bags. Annabeth walked up to Percy.

"Here. Let me take one," Percy gratefully handed over one of his plastic and paper overlords. "I feel kinda bad for making you carry all this." she said.

"You should. Damn pencils have been stabbing me the whole time." Annabeth laughed. Percy likes it when she did that. It was like everything seemed to get better.

"How? They aren't even sharpened?"

"That didn't stop them."

"It couldn't have hurt too bad, right?" Percy looked askance at her.

"Have you ever had multiple wooden spikes jabbing your leg?" Annabeth shook her head. "Trust me, you don't wanna." They walked in silence for a bit. Piper and Jason walked ahead of them. Piper also carried one of the many bags weighing Jason down. As they walked, Percy saw their hands brush together.

"Hey, you two!" Percy yelled. The boy turned. "We're in public! Tone it down a bit!" Jason and Piper turned bright red.

"Why'd you do that?" Annabeth asked through laughter.

"You know I had to do it to 'em." Percy said, clasping his hands together. Annabeth slugged his arm.

"Quit it with you old memes."

"Make me. You can't stop memes." Annabeth sighed and Percy smirked.

A few minutes later, the crew arrived at the food court.

"How about right there?" Frank said, pointing to a booth. Everyone agreed, so they headed over and set their stuff down. Nico collapsed into a chair.

"Christ, my feet hurt." He lifted his foot onto his knee, took off his shoe and massaged his foot. Thalia smacked him.

"Put your shoe back on, dumbass. No one wants to smell that shit." Nico glared at her, but he put it back on. Leo scanned the restaurants.

"Score!" he sprinted towards a Mexican vendor. Thalia, Nico, and Reyna went over to a hamburger place. Piper took Jason's hand and pulled him over to a sushi shop. Frank and Hazel headed to an Italian restaurant. Percy looked around.

"Hell yeah! Pizza!" He shared a look with Annabeth. She nodded. They went over to the counter. The cashier greeted them.

"Welcome to Di Pizzazos. What can I getcha?"

"Uh, can I get a meat-lovers?"

"Any special requests?"

"Can you make it blue?"

"Come again?"

"Blue. Can you make the dough blue?"

"Um, we have bleu cheese."

"No, the dough. Ya take blue food coloring, put some in the dough, and violá, blue dough." The cashier shook her head in defeat.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks."

"And you?" she asked Annabeth.

"Just cheese."

"Anything else? Do you want green dough?"

"No, I'm good."

"Two sodas, actually." Percy said. The cashier pulled out two cups and handed them over. She rang them up.

"That'll be thirty dollars forty-two cents." Percy pulled out a twenty and a five. He frantically searched for another ten. Annabeth sighed. Reaching into her purse, Annabeth put the remaining ten next to the waiting money. Percy grunted.

"Thanks."

"You owe me." Annabeth said. The cash register dinged and Percy took the change. They went to the soda machine and got their drinks. When they got back to the counter, two pizzas were steaming and ready. Percy smiled. Sitting front of him, was a beautiful blue pizza. He picked up both and Annabeth took the drinks. They walked back to the table, were Leo was happily chowing on some tacos. He looked up and grinned through a mouthful of taco.

"Hu gus. Whu you geh?"

"What?" Percy asked. Leo swallowed.

"Hi, guys. What'd you get?"

"Pizza."

"Why is that one blue?"

"Because Percy asked for a blue pizza." Annabeth explained, exasperated.

"But why?"

"Long story."

"Alrighty." Thalia came over with Nico and Reyna in tow.

"Sup guys?" Thalia said. She noticed Percy's blue pizza. "Uh, Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Why is that, uh, blue?"

"Because." Percy said. Annabeth shook her head, telling Thalia not to ask further.

"Where's the other four?" Reyna asked. They looked around. Frank and Hazel were coming back, but there was no sign of Jason or Piper.

"I'll bet ten that they're making out!" yelled Leo.

"No, fifteen." Percy said.

"You're on!" Leo got up and ran to the kiddie play area. Percy headed for the restrooms and everyone else split up. Nico and Reyna opted to stay behind to protect their stuff.

The restrooms shared a common area and then branched off. Percy looked around, then went into the men's room. He looked in all the stalls. Nothing. Pulling out his phone, he wrote:

_**Not here**_. No sooner had it sent than a message popped up from Leo.

**Ladies and gentlemen, we got 'em. **A selfie of Leo in front of Piper and Jason, both red as tomatoes, followed. Percy sighed. Did he really have to give up fifteen dollars?

"Pay up, Jackson." said Leo. Percy sighed. He forked over the fifteen dollars.

"Where were they?" he asked.

"In the tube slide," Leo explained. "Dunno why. I could hear them from fifty feet away." Jason glared at his friend. Leo smiled back and Jason broke into fits of laughter. Percy bit into his pizza.

"Gah!" The scalding hot sauce and cheese burned into the roof of his mouth. He dropped the pizza back onto the tray. Everyone jumped.

"Are you okay?" Hazel asked. Percy nodded, frantically drinking his Coke. Try as he might, it wasn't enough to stop his younger from tingling like crazy.

"I think I'll wait for this to cool off." said Annabeth, glancing at her food. Percy nodded, still sucking on his straw. The group ate until Leo finished.

"Let's go, guys. We gotta get some shtuff." The other boys groaned.

"Do we have to?" Frank asked.

"If you don't want us mad at you for not getting us stuff, yes." Piper said. That was enough. Percy quickly finished his lukewarm pizza and drank the last of his Coke. He headed off with the other guys.

"Forty-five minutes maximum!" Annabeth yelled after them.

"Okay, Mom!" Percy yelled back.

An hour later, they trudged back to the food court. Annabeth glared at them.

"What?" Leo asked.

"You guys took almost an hour." she said frostily. Percy glanced at the Adventure time watch he had bought.

"Well, we left at three twenty two and it's four twenty right now."

"Eheheh. Four twenty." Leo snickered. Nico chuckled with him. Jason elbowed Leo.

"So we did not, in fact, take an hour, but rather fifty nine minutes." Percy mimed a mic drop. Annabeth sighed.

"Whatever. Let's go back to the Neptune." They gathered their bags and goods and headed for were they had parked.

When they got outside, Leo fished out his car keys. He punched a button and a light blinked. He led them through the parking lot as the light blinked faster and faster.

"Here we are!" he said cheerfully.

The vehicle that sat before them was a modified van. Leo had torn out a pickup truck's engine and other parts, giving it vastly better performance. The engine itself was from Leo's old truck that had gotten totaled a few months before. It was a bronze-colored pickup that Leo named Festus. He found it in a junkyard and bought it. While he was driving a few days after fixing it, he was rear-ended off the road. Leo got out okay, but the gas tank exploded. The only thing salvaged was the engine now in the van. Leo named the van Argo II, after the mythical ship captained by the Greek hero Jason.

Inside the van was rather spacious. The seats could rotate to form rows or a small common area. The floor opened up for storage. A table was mounted on each seat as well as a small cooler on the bottom. The windows were bulletproof glass and had tint controls. A television folded down from the ceiling. Leo installed cable and a Wi-Fi router, too. A few electrical outlets popped out from the sides.

"Alrighty, crew. All aboard!" Leo announced and unlocked the doors. He climbed into the driver's seat. Reyna went around and hopped into the passenger. Nico frowned.

"Isn't that a train term?"

"You're ruining it, Neeks." said Thalia, sluggin his arm. Nico scowled.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" he grumbled and got in. Percy admired the vehicle.

"Nice ride." he said. Leo started the engine. It coughed and turned over.

"You ain't seen nothing yet." the Texan grinned. Percy got in. The seats were all facing each other. Jason opened the cargo hatch and Percy threw his stuff in. Annabeth dragged him into the seat next to her.

"Are ya ready kids?" Leo yelled back. No one answered. Helping Leo out, Percy yelled, "Aye aye, Captain!"

"I can't hear youu!" Leo responded.

"Aye aye, Captain!" Everyone yelled. Leo drove out of the parking spot and turned on a song

"Ooooohhhhh, who lives in a pineapple under the sea?" Leo began.

"Spongebob Squarepants!" Percy yelled.

"Absorbent and yellow and porous is he?"

"Spongebob Squarepants!" Jason joined Percy.

"Who's nautical nonsense be something you wish?"

"Spongebob Squarepants!" Frank and Thalia hopped in

"So drop on the deck and flop like a fish!"

"Spongebob Squarepants!" Almost everyone was belting out, except for Nico and Annabeth.

"Ready?"

"Spongebob Squarepants, Spongebob Squarepants, Spongebob Squarepants, Spongeybob Squarepaaaaaants!" Everyone yelled and laughed. Nico put his hood over his head and groaned.

"Please, God, take me away!"

A few minutes later, they arrived at Jason, Thalia, and Piper's apartment, the Jupiter Optimus. Jason pulled the stuff from beneath the floor. Piper and Thalia got out.

"Hurry up, Jace!" Thalia yelled. "Don't make me beat your ass!"

"I'm coming, Thals! Hold your horses." Jason stumbled out, laden with bags. "See ya, guys! Thanks for the ride, Leo!"

"No probs!" Leo drove away. "Percy, Annabeth, I'ma drop you guys off next."

"That's cool." Percy said. The Jupiter wasn't very far from Neptune Building. Percy was surprised at the fact the three main buildings, Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto High Rises, formed a triangle around the central office, Olympus.

Leo pulled up to the front of Neptune.

"Get out me cahr!"

"Dammit, Valdez, you have to wait for 'I'm in me mum's cahr!' before you say that." scolded Percy.

"Well, excuse me, Meme Police." Leo retorted. Percy glared at him and grinned. You just couldn't stay mad at this kid. Percy retrieved his and Annabeth's stuff. Annabeth hugged Hazel and Reyna. Percy fist-bumped Frank and shook Nico's hand. Getting out, he waved to Leo as the mechanic pulled away.

"Hey, guys." Apollo greeted. The doorman was bouncing on his heels.

"Hey, man. Why are you so bouncy?" Percy asked.

"The Big Three offered me a higher position!"

"Dude, nice!" said Percy, high fiving the doorman. "What is it?"

"I get to start a sub-line of airplanes. I'm thinking Sunbeam for the name. They'll be gold and red."

"My mom is gonna be pissed." Annabeth said and sighed.

"Yeah, especially because Miss Aphrodite got a designer position, too."

"What?!"

"Yep."

"Ohh, not good. Not good at all. Is she back yet?"

"No, but probably soon."

"Shit." Annabeth cursed. She ran inside, Percy on her heels. They ran to the elevators. Annabeth hit a queue button and waited. She hit again and again.

"I think there's one on its way." said Percy. Annabeth shot him a glare. He raised his hands in a placation. "Just sayin'." A light dinged and one of the doors opened. Two workers walked out, chatting away. Annabeth ran to it and Percy followed. The doors hissed shut and Annabeth punched the button for floor three. She took her bags from Percy.

"Why are you so paranoid?" Percy asked.

"Because she's gonna be super pissed off."

"Why?"

"I told you how she's the lead designer of all the products?" Percy nodded.

"And she didn't want anyone else in the same position as her." he supplied.

"Yeah. Well, now that Apollo and Aphrodite are both designers with her, she sees that as losing her power. Which, granted, isn't much, but still. My mom likes to be in control." Annabeth's tone darkened. She leaned in close and whispered, "There was this one lady, Arachne, who everyone thought was gonna be co-designer with her. My mom hired someone to go to the apartment while Arachne was asleep and erase all her work. Arachne commited suicide the next day." Percy was shocked. "No one found out about it because she covered it up extremely well. Malcolm and I are the only ones who know. And now you, I guess. You can't tell anybody. No one. Not even our friends."

"I promise."

"Swear on the Styx."

"The what?"

"The River Styx. One of the five rivers of the Underworld. The Ancient Greeks believed that an oath on the Styx would kill you if you broke it."

"Oh. I don't wanna die."

"You won't, but I will."

"I swear on the River Styx not to tell anyone." Percy said. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could have sworn the elevator darkened and trembled. Josephine's disembodied voice cut through the silence.

"Third floor." The doors hissed open and Annabeth sprinted out, fumbling for the room key as she ran. Percy trotted behind. Annabeth reached a door on the left. Percy noted the number was 21.

"Why that number?"

"What?"

"The number. Twenty-one."

"Oh. That's the modern area code for Athens, Greece." As she said this, the door opened. A boy a bit younger than both Percy and Annabeth stared at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Malcolm, is Mom home?"

"No, not yet. Why?"

"Because it happened."

"What did."

"You know." Malcolm looked confused for a second, then his eyes grew as big as dinner plates.

"Oh, fuck. You serious?" Annabeth nodded. He seemed to notice Percy for the first time. "Who are you?"

"Percy Jackson."

"The new kid?" Percy nodded. Malcolm frowned. "I don't think my mom likes you very much. You might wanna leave like, as soon as possible. I'm Malcolm, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too. I was planning on leaving, anyway. Bye, Annabeth." Percy walked back towards the elevators. He heard Malcolm ask Annabeth, "Is he your boyfriend?"

"What? No!" Annabeth yelped. Percy smiled. He heard heels clicking on the floor ahead of him and he glanced up. Athena was angrily walking towards him. Quickly, Percy looked down and threw up his hood. And not a second too soon. She brushed by him. Percy pulled out his phone and sent a message to Annabeth.

**She just walked by me**

_My mom?_

**Yeah. By the elevators.**

_Did she recognize you?_

**Nah, I had my hood up.**

_Good._

**Good luck**

No text was sent back. Percy pocketed the phone and boarded an elevator. He hit the button and was raised to the penthouse.

When he got off, the first thing he noticed was Poseidon at the table working.

"Hello, Percy. How was shopping?"

"How'd you know?"

"Apollo told me. Glad to see you have friends. Your mother told me about Luke."

"Did she?"

"Yes. That was one of the reasons why you were sent here."

"What were the other ones?"

"For one, you weren't doing very well in school. Skipping class, not turning in work, mouthing off. Much of that was with Luke. Seems like he was a bad influence."

"He was not a bad influence!" Percy yelled. "You didn't know him!"

"As a matter of fact, I did. He was Hermes' son. And he worked for our rivals, Giant and Titan Movement. They sent him to live there and abduct you. Seems like he failed." Poseidon said, oblivious to the anger on his son's face.

"He was my friend!"

"He would have betrayed you at the first chance he had!"

"Shut up! Just shut up!"

"Don't talk to me like that." Poseidon's voice was deadly calm.

"I'll talk however I damn well please!" Percy yelled.

"I am your father!"

"No, you aren't. A father is supposed to be there for his family. A father isn't supposed to leave them as soon as something goes wrong." Silence intruded for a second until Poseidon broke it quietly.

"You know as well as I do I had no choice."

"Bullshit! You could have brought us back here!"

"And lose my reputation! You would have been illegitimate!"

"I already am! You just rolled into Ohio one day and boned my mom! And then ditched before I was born!"

"I did not leave before you were born!"

"Yes, you did, you lying shitbag!" Both of them were shocked he had said that. Poseidon glared frostily at Percy.

"Room. Now. Or I will call security." Percy glared at the older man, then stomped to his room. Poseidon followed. Percy turned.

"Stop following me."

"Keep going." Percy huffed and stomped up the stairs. When he reached the door, he went in and flopped on the bed.

"You can go away now." he said. Poseidon said nothing, but walked in, unplugged the T.V., and took the remote and XBox. He held out his hand.

"Phone." Percy glared at him. "Now." Reluctantly, he handed over the device. Poseidon left. Percy got up and slammed the door. He went back to his bed and collapsed on it. Tears sprung to the corners as he thought about Luke. He flipped onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry he said those things, Luke." he whispered. "I know you weren't like that." Maybe it was his imagination, bu Luke seemed to whisper in his mind.

_It's okay. He didn't know what he was doing._

"It's not okay. He didn't know you!" Luke's voice was silent. Percy sighed. He was probably losing it. As he lay there, his thoughts drifted to Annabeth. Percy loved spending time with her. Hopefully she was okay.

As quickly as those thoughts entered, his mind kicked them out. Why was he thinking about that? Bad brain.

_Y'know, I think you have crush on her._ A voice said.

_Shut up. _Percy told it.

_Dude, you haven't felt like that since Rachel._

"Shut up!" Percy yelled.

"I didn't say anything!" Poseidon's voice yelled.

"Not you!"

_Don't ever mention Rachel. Ever. Or I will kick you can't kick me out, so don't even think about it._ Damn. Logic from your own brain. Percy sighed. Might as well try and catch some sleep.

**So yeah! Pretty sure that's the longest chapter. You're welcome. I'm working on a massive crossover fic with ALL of Rick's mythology things(except Trials of Apollo because that messes up everything). It's on Wattpad because if I put it on here, it just wouldn't work. There was a story I read awhile ago that I pull a *few* ideas from. Warlords of Olympus, I believe. The author stopped writing it and I was bummed because it was awesome. My Wattpad name is on my profile. Review, please! It means so much.**


	7. From Horrible to Downright Sucktastic

**I don't have much other than that I have a few more chapters to post of this. READ IT PLZ!**

The darkness of the room was somewhat comforting. The lights of the city seeped through his window, dimly illuminating his room. Percy tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep. When he found that he couldn't, the teenager swung his legs out of bed. Flicking a switch, a light turned on. Percy made his way to the closet and opened it. He found the swimsuits and searched through them. A green racing suit caught his eye. Perfect. Percy put it on and grabbed his goggles and towel. Exiting his room, he scrawled a note in case Poseidon checked on him. His phone was laying on the counter, lit up. Glancing at the stairs, Percy grabbed it. The time was one o'clock. A message from Annabeth was waiting.

_Mom is mad. I need to escape for a while. _Percy looked at the timestamp.

_**Received: 9 hours ago**_

Hesitating, Percy sent a response back. He doubted she would see it.

**Heading to pool rn. Dads mad me.** He hit send. Pocketing the device, Percy headed to the elevator. Right before he pushed the button, a doorway caught his eye. A window looked down into a stairwell. Perfect. Percy opened the door and slowly closed it. He quickly went down the steps towards the lobby.

After going down steps for awhile, Percy went onto a floor. He made his way to the elevators. Queuing up, he looked at the floor number. Ninety-four. The elevator dinged. As Percy went on, a voice called out.

"Hold it open!" A girl ran down the hallway. She had caramel colored hair and her eyes were somewhat almond shaped. She wore a white shirt and blue jeans. Her deep brown eyes showed more wisdom than she looked. Percy held it open and she got on.

"Where to?" he asked.

"Fourteen." she said. Percy hit the button for her. The elevator descended.

"What's your name?" the girl asked. Percy glanced at her. She studied him, eyes searching for any hints as to who he might be. Percy found no reason not to tell her.

"Percy."

"Calypso." The two stood in silence. Not able to stand the silence anymore, Percy spoke.

"What're you doing awake this late?"

"Sorry, what?" she said.

"Why are you awake this early?" Percy repeated.

"I couldn't sleep very well. Nightmares. What about you?"

"Dad problems."

"Oh. Who's your dad?" An innocent question. Percy didn't want to tell her, but something made him anyway.

"Uh Poseidon." Calypso's eyebrows shot up.

"You're the new kid? I heard there was a new person here."

"Really? Does everyone know I'm new?"

"Probably. Apollo is a chatterbox." Percy sighed. Of course it was Apollo. He wouldn't be surprised if Apollo spread a rumor that he and Annabeth were dating, which wouldn't be that bad, but still. Percy blinked. Had he considered what it would be like to date Annabeth?

_Yeah, ya did._

_Shut up!_ Stupid voices. The ding of the elevator snapped Percy back to reality.

"Floor fourteen." Josephine said. The doors opened. Calypso started getting off.

"Nice meeting you, Percy." Claypso said. She smiled at him. Percy half-smiled back. The doors slid shut.

"Yeah. You too." Percy said to nothing. He hit the button for the lobby and the elevator descended.

When the doors opened, Percy headed for the pool. He weaved through the deserted halls until he came to the pool. Opening the door, he went into the dimly lit pool area. The lane pool was open and no one was there. Percy noted that the middle three lanes had starting blocks. Nice. He dropped his towel on a table and took off his shoes. Pulling his shirt over his head, he put on his goggles and went over to the blocks. Percy climbed up onto one and stood up.

The last time he stood on a swimming block was in eighth grade. The last race he did, the one hundred meter butterfly. The last time he swam. His mom and Luke had shown up to cheer him on. He envisioned the crowd at the edge of the pool, the other swimmers waiting for the signal, his mom and friend at the end of his lane. The started whistled and Percy crouched, glancing at the red numbers on the clock. He heard the buzz and he dove in.

The swimmer plunged into the water, his hands overlapped and stretched out. He kicked his feet in unison, boosting him a few more feet. He felt his body rising to the surface. His arms shot out of the water and propelled him across the surface. Water splashed into the air. The wall faced him and he reached out and grabbed the wall. He turned around and pushed off. He swam back and forth twice more until he finished.

Both hands slammed into the wall and he looked up. One minute, fifty-five seconds. Damn. Slower than his record. Percy took a few breaths and swam some freestyle. After a few laps, Percy got out. He headed over to the water fountain to get a drink. After Percy finished, he went back to his lane. Movement by the main door caught his eye.

"Hello?" he called. No reply. "Is someone there?" The person stepped out. It was Annabeth. "Oh, hey, Annabeth." she was looking down.

"You good?" her head shook. Percy walked closer. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Annabeth looked up. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her eyes were puffy and red. She sniffed and wrapped her arms around Percy. At first, Percy didn't know what to do. Then he put his arms around her and returned the hug. She pulled back.

"Thanks, Percy."

"Yeah, no problem. What's wrong?"

"My mom. She was so mad about this that she started drinking. Her tolerance is really low and she was piss drunk within ten minutes. I tried to stay away, but it didn't work. You know how people are more honest when they're drunk? It's true. She said that- that I was a failure and I would never be as good as her. She said that she should have left me with Dad. I know she probably didn't mean that, but it was too much. I saw your text and came down."

"Glad ya did." Percy walked back to his stuff. He pulled the goggles off his head and set them down. He tossed his towel to his friend.

"Here. Dry off."

"Why?"

"Did you change at all?"

"Yeah." she tossed the towel back. "Why's your suit like that?"

"Tight?"

"Yeah."

"It's a racing suit. Swimmers on swim teams wear them to go speedy fast."

"Like a those underwear looking things?"

"Yeah."

"Those are weird."

"Agreed." Percy waved his hand. "Wanna go in the hot tub?"

"Yeah, sure." Annabeth pulled her shirt over her head. Percy was pretty sure he was paralyzed. Sure, he had seen Annabeth in a swimsuit before, but that was with a bunch of new people. Now it was just them, alone, in a semi-dark pool. And Annabeth was beautiful.

"You okay, Jackson?" Annabeth asked, smirking. Her gray one piece managed to accent her curves. Percy looked up.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." he headed over to the hot tub and got in. Annabeth slid in next to him. They sat in silence for a moment, watching and listening to the bubbles from the jets.

"So are you a serious swimmer?" Annabeth asked. Percy nodded.

"Been swimming since second grade." Annabeth nodded like this was crucial information. Percy floundered for a topic.

"You do any sports?" Way to go, Percy. Nice save.

"Volleyball. I went to a camp a few years ago and picked it up. I played for my, well, our, high school team in the fall last and this year."

"You any good?"

"Eh, I'm okay."

_Hold her hand. _That stupid voice was back.

_Shut it!_

"What?" Percy must've said that aloud because Annabeth looked confused.

"Not you. Just, a, uh, voice." Percy pointed to his temple. Annabeth looked skeptical, but didn't pry.

_Do it._

_No!_

_Yes._

_No!_

_No._

_Yes-wait._

_Gotcha._ Percy tried to ignore it and looked down. His hand was close to Annabeth's. Just a few centimeters and… no. Percy couldn't do that. They were friends. Good friends, but friends. No crushes, no way.

_You keep lying to yourself._

_She's a friend!_

_Like how Rachel was a friend? _ Percy couldn't come up with a comeback.

"Percy? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You zoned out for a minute."

"I'm fine. Not to intrude or anything but, what did your mom say." Percy that he was on thin ice at this point, because Annabeth's expression hardened. She clenched her jaw.

"A lot of shit. Y'know, the usual, 'you aren't good enough, I wish you were with Fredrick, your brother is better'. That kind of thing"

"There's more."

"No, nope. That's it."

"Annabeth, what else?"

"Nothing, Percy." Percy knew it wasn't nothing because her voice broke a bit. He reached out and turned her face to his.

"What else?" he asked softly. Annabeth sniffed.

"She, she said th-that she should've had an abortion with me. That I never should have been born." Annabeth buried her face in her hands. Percy tentatively reached out a put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Percy was very aware of how close she was. It was electrifying. It felt right somehow. Annabeth looked up.

"Thanks, Percy." Percy looked down.

"For what?"

"Being here for me." Annabeth pressed her lips to Percy's cheek softly and pulled back. Percy exhaled. He looked at Annabeth. She met his gaze, almost daring him to say something. Percy said nothing, but leaned closer, Annabeth doing the same. Their lips touched. Neither knew what to do and they quickly pulled apart. They turned red and looked away. Percy looked out of the corner of his eye. He saw Annabeth doing the same.

"Uhm, s-sorry." Percy stammered.

"Yeah, no, it's fine, I guess."

"I dunno what happened."

"Same." Percy shifted so he was facing Annabeth.

"Why'd you do it?" She turned.

"What?"

"I leaned in and so did you."

"And?"

"Do you… like me?" Percy asked, tentatively. Annabeth looked away.

"No." Percy's heart fell.

"You sure?"

"Percy, we are friends. In fact, I'd go so far as to call you my best friend. But even if I did have a crush on you, we couldn't be together." Percy furrowed his brow angrily.

"Why? Because your mom doesn't like me?"

"No, but-"

"But what? Who gives a shit about what parents think. I will have you know, I am a delight to be around." Annabeth stared at him for a moment. The words she spoke smacked Percy across the face.

"Percy, I do like you! If my mom found out that we were together, she would ban me from seeing you! I don't want that! I love being around you and I love your personality! My mother doesn't like you because your father is her rival! She could make everyone look down on you and destroy both your reputation and your dad's. I don't want you to get hur-" Percy cut her off by mashing his lips onto hers. He held it and didn't back down. After what seemed an eternity, Annabeth returned it. Percy closed his eyes. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her close. She tangled her hands in his hair. Finally, they pulled apart, taking deep breaths.

"Wanna rethink that tirade?" Percy asked. Annabeth shook her head.

"I do like you, Percy, but we can't be together." Annabeth got out of the hot tub. She headed for the towel dispenser by the door. Grabbing a white one, she disappeared into the women's locker room and never came back out. Percy stared at the water. A lump grew in his throat and a tear plopped into the foam. He got out and dried off. If his gut was right, Annabeth would avoid him for a good while.

_Dude, you messed up big time._

_Shut the fuck up! Leave me alone!_ Angrily, Percy got dressed at left the pool, not wanted to return until he resolved things with Annabeth, the girl he loved.

**Ehehehehehe. Annabeth and Percy are in trouble! I can't really think of much to put here, so here's a question. Have you reviewed? DEW IT! -RFA**


	8. That's what friends are for

**Aaaaaand here's a third chapter. Goddamn, I wrote so much.**

The few days after the incident between Percy and Annabeth was so tense, it was palpable. Piper, being the most attuned to other's feelings, confided her thoughts with the others.

"Something happened between them." she told them one day. The other seven friends were at the Jupiter, in the Grace sibling's penthouse. Percy was still hiding in his place, as was Annabeth. Jason frowned and took her hand.

"Like what?"

"Percy told me that their parents were not being great, so they met at the pool. Some stuff went down and now they won't talk to each other." Grover supplied. Thalia furrowed her brow.

"What exactly happened, though?" The group pondered this. Piper snapped her fingers.

"I got it!"

"What?" Leo asked.

"They like each other." Piper said, stating the obvious. The others looked skeptical.

"You sure?" Nico asked.

"Yeah, there's no way Annabeth could fall for Percy that quickly." Thalia said. Reyna raised an eyebrow.

"You sure about that, Thals?"

"What have I said about calling me Thals, _Rey-Rey_?" the two locked eyes, glaring at each other. Nico pulled Thalia away before it could get ugly.

"Reyna has a point." Frank said. "Percy's been here, what, going on two weeks? And we've all spent pretty much everyday hanging out." Piper nodded.

"And don't you girls deny you thought Percy was hella hot the first time you saw him." sh said. Thalia looked offended.

"He's my cousin. We don't live in freaking Alabama." she glared at Piper. The latter raised her hands in mock surrender.

"I didn't mean you. I meant Reyna, Hazel, myself and of course, Annabeth." Jason narrowed his eyes. Quickly, Piper kissed his cheek. "But now I have you." she whispered to him. Jason seemed to be okay with that, though his expression still showed hurt.

"What about Percy though?" Leo asked, fidgeting with a lighter. "He seems like the kind of guy that doesn't develop feelings quickly."

"You guys noticed how whenever we all did something, those two usually stuck close?" asked Hazel. The others nodded, except Leo who flicked the flame on and off. Frank scooted farther from him. "And whenever Annabeth got hit on, Percy would say 'She's my girlfriend.' I think Percy asked her out." Piper had to give credit to Hazel. She may have been the youngest, but she was way more mature than the others. Jason nodded in agreement.

"And we all know about the Athena-Poseidon thing." The group murmured in agreement.

"So I'm guessing Percy tried to make a move on Annabeth and she said no because of their parentage. Damn, talk about getting shut down." Reyna said. Nico gasped and covered Hazel's ears.

"Hey! There are young ears here!" he yelled. Frank covered his own ears.

"Oh, shut up, Death Boy." Thalia said. Piper's phone buzzed. She looked at it.

**I need to talk to you. At your place**. It was from Percy.

"Who's that from?" Jason asked. Not expecting him to say anything, Piper jumped.

"Uh, my mom. I need to go." Jason mock-pouted.

"Alright." He got up and walked Piper to the stairwell door. There was no elevator leading up, only a stairwell. The doors at the top and bottom required a key, which Jason, Thalia, and Zeus all had. He kissed her.

"Bye." he said and went back to his friends. Piper opened the door and descended to her mother's apartment. Her mom didn't actually need to talk to her, but Jason didn't know that. When Piper got there, Percy was leaning on the doorframe. He saw her and stood straight.

"Hey." he said. A seemingly innocent greeting, but Piper could hear the stress in his voice. He must have really liked Annabeth.

"Hi." she said and gave him a quick hug. He returned it, albeit unsurely. Piper opened the door and they went in. The place was as basic as its neighbors, though Piper and Aphrodite had done some stuff to it to make it better, in her mother's opinion. Aphrodite was rather image conscious. Percy walked in and took off his shoes. Piper kicked them off and sent them across the living room. She went into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

"You want anything?" she asked, scanning.

"Whaddya got?"

"Uh, Coke, milk, water, duh, apple and grape juice." As she said this, a half-empty wine bottle along with a few cans of beer caught her eye. Odd. Her mom had just bought that and she didn't drink beer unless… Nah, not that. Piper brushed the idea aside.

"Coke, please." Percy said. Piper grabbed a can and an apple juice. She went back to where Percy was standing awkwardly, still in front of the door. She laughed.

"You can come in more." Percy shuffled in, looking around. Piper tossed him the Coke. He caught it, popped the tab open, and took a long swig. They went over to the table and sat next to each other.

"So what's up with you?" He asked. Piper shrugged.

"Not much. My mom's been in California for almost a week." Percy frowned.

"But it's almost Christmas."

"She'll be back. When I came here to live with her, we agreed that on Christmas and birthdays, both of us have to be here. It's worked so far. What about your mom?" Percy narrowed his eyes.

"What about her?"

"Like is she coming here for Christmas?"

"Oh. Uh, I don't know, really. I hope she's coming over, though."

"Don't you have a step-dad? You think he would come too?" A seeming innocent question. When Percy heard that, his eyes darkened in rage and fear and anger. Piper was surprised at the amount of emotions those eye could hold.

"For his sake, I hope he doesn't." Percy said coldly. Wanting to calm her friend, Piper quickly changed the subject.

"How's Annabeth?" Percy's expression went from anger to happiness to sadness.

"She's fine. Why?"

"Because there's something goin' on between you two."

"No, not really."

"Uh, huh. Then tell me why you always say she's your girlfriend when someone hits on her."

"B'cause she doesn't deserve those guys. She's way to good for them."

"You like her." Piper said. Never mind the fact that the whole group had already figured that out.

"Wha- no!" Percy stammered. "I just don't want her to end up with someone who's gonna treat her badly."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and she's already awesome and smart and talented and amazing and beautiful and-" Percy stopped. Piper grinned while sipping on the apple juice. He glared at his friend. "You did that on purpose."

"Yep."

"Alright, if you want to know, I'll tell you. Swear on the Styx you won't ever tell anyone." Piper knew what that meant. And Percy could have only gotten it from one person. Annabeth Chase.

"I swear on the Styx." Percy nodded in confirmation. Piper bounced up and down.

"How long have you liked her?"

"Since I met her. She hated me and I did too, but then we hung out once and, yeah." Piper nodded knowingly.

"Now you wanna smash?"

"What?! No!" Percy yelped. He turned bright red. "No. Never. Not until I'm ready."

"Y'know, if you ever think you're going to, talk to Jason."

"Why would I-ohhh." Understanding crossed Percy's face. Then it changed to confusion. "Have you two actually… done it?" Piper busted out laughing.

"Oh, God, no! We've been together two weeks at most."

"Huh. How long do you think Annabeth and I would last?"

"Probably forever. Why?"

"Because I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend, but then she said that her mom would never allow her to. She said she did like me and that she loves being around or with me, but it wouldn't work out in the long run." Percy stared at the red can. "I really like her, though." Piper took Percy's hand. He looked up.

"You told her you like her, right?" Percy nodded. "And she said she likes you back?" Another nod. "Then I would suggest closed doors."

"What's that?"

"Basically, you act like friends in public, specifically when Athena and Poseidon are around, but around us or when you're alone together…" Piper trailed off, letting Percy figure it out. When he did, a grin crept across his face.

"Gotcha. But, uh, does that entail kissing? Because I've never really kissed someone before. Well, I did kiss her, but it was kinda rough and not very nicely either."

"Yes, that does mean kissing. If you want, I'll show you how."

"But aren't you dating Jason right now?"

"Jason isn't here." Piper leaned in and pressed her lips gently to Percy's. She had to admit, Percy had rather nice lips. They smelled faintly of the ocean and tasted of salt. Which was odd because he had allegedly lived in Ohio his whole life. Either way, she would be somewhat envious of whoever was lucky enough to end up with Percy

Percy was a bit confused at first when Piper kissed him, but he went with it. Her lips were soft and gentle. If this is what Jason got, then he was one lucky guy. Some part of Percy's brain rebelled, but the other part kept him in check. He hoped he wasn't messing up.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only thirty seconds, Piper pulled away. Both teenagers were breathing heavily.

"That's how you kiss someone." Piper said softly. Percy blinked a few times then nodded.

"Wasn't expecting that." he cracked a grin and Piper laughed.

"I figured."

"Does that count as my first kiss?"

"Only if you want it to."

"Would you be insulted if I said it doesn't count?"

"Nah."

"Then no, it doesn't."

"I assume you're reserving that for Annabeth?"

"Yep."

"Smart." The two friends talked a little longer. Finally, Percy had to go. He stood up and stretched. His shirt rode up a bit, which Piper noticed. Even though she had her own boyfriend, Piper couldn't help but be amazed at how fit Percy was. She got up and they went to the door. Percy slipped on his shoes. He grabbed the door handle. Before he opened it, Piper crushed him in a hug. Percy returned it.

"See ya later, Aquaman." Percy groaned.

"Not you too. Bad enough Leo calls me that all the time." Piper released her friend.

"Would you rather be called Water-Boy."

"No."

"Too bad."

"Damn."

"On a somewhat serious note, if you ever need to talk to someone about this, I'm here." Percy nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind." he opened the door and walked out, waving as he left. Piper shut the door and sighed. She really hoped Percy and Annabeth would get together. Now she needed a shipping name. Opening the notes app, she wrote possible names.

Annercy. No, too weird.

Annackson. Maybe…

Annja. Definitely not.

Peranna. Sounds like a piranha.

Perchase. Possibly.

Chackson. That sounds like a disease.

Jase. Short and sweet.

Percabeth.

Piper stared at the word on her screen.

It was perfect.

Percabeth.

**Yes, Piper kissed Percy. No, they will not end up together. Maybe. I really like Pipercy as a BrOTP, though I have started reading Pipercy fics a bit. They're pretty good. Might write one myself. I read a fuckton over the last few weeks and noticed something that really kinda pisses me off. It's when authors put an ****unnecessary****amount**** of detail into character's outfits. It's always like "she wore a bright green Hollister t-shirt with blue jean shorts with a rip about in the middle of her thighs. She also wore black Converse sneakers with white accents and blue socks underneath." Another thing I hate is when they're SUPER specific about objects. Like "Kevin booted up his black Xbox 360 Pro and started up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2." I get wanting to describe things, but too much detail and zzzzzz. Okay I'll shut up. REVIEW! NOW! -RFA**


	9. Where do we go from here?

**AYYYYYY! What's up, peeps. Here's a new chapter. I don't like it because I felt like I could do so much better, but my fanboy took over and I just put them together. READ PLZ!**

If you were to ask Percy on the current state of his emotions, he would say they were a hurricane. He had a not-so-small crush on Annabeth. That much he knew. But Piper kissed him. That didn't count for anything, right? He walked outside, passing by the doorwoman, Hebe. She smiled at him.

"Hello, Mr. Jackson." Percy smiled back.

"Hebe, I've told you a thousand times to call me Percy."

"I know. Mr. Jackson sounds better." Percy sighed internally. Hebe was quite stubborn, not unlike himself.

"Fine." He said goodbye and walked off.

Because he had lived in rural Ohio his entire life, the talled things Percy saw were trees. Massive wooden sentinels towering above everything. The shade from the canopies provided shelter from the blistering heat in the summer, the downpours of fall and spring, and held snow up in winter. There was a particular grove near Percy's house were one evergreen steadfastly stood. At least two hundred feet tall, it lorded over everything.

Here in the city, that tree would pale in comparison to the much, much larger skyscrapers. Steel, glass, and concrete giants glinted in the midday sun. They cast a shadow over the streets, except when the sun was over head. Like now. Percy had been living here for almost a week and he still stared at the massive buildings. He walked along the busting sidewalks, hood up and looking down. He recalled the first and best advice Grover had given him.

"Never, under any circumstances, look people in the eye when you're walking alone on the sidewalks." Percy took that to heart. Leo had given him another bit.

"Always walk quickly." At first, Percy too this too literal and practically jogged. This had caused the ire of many a pedestrian. Percy really didn't want to get beat up, so he slowed it down a lot. If Percy was honest, he prefered Ohio a lot more. Out there, most people kept to themselves and it was nice and spread out. Here, it was as though someone had taken every possible human and crammed them all together. People jostled around and pushed. Wanting to avoid this, Percy cut through an alley. He stepped onto a smaller road. The screech of tires made him look up in time to see a white Nissan slam into him. Percy was knocked to the ground, pain slamming into his hip and skull like an elephant. The lights became suddenly blinding and he blacked out.

When Percy woke up, he was laying on a couch. He sat up and immediately lay back down. Where was he? Movement caught his eye. He glanced over. It was the girl from the elevator, Calypso, sitting at the table on her phone.

"Excuse me?" he said. The girl jumped slightly. "Where am I?"

"You're at my house, Percy,"

"I thought you lived at the Neptune,"

"No, my friend does. I was over there for a sleepover, but nightmares got to me."

"How'd I get here? I remember a car…"

"That was me. I hit you. You fell, hit your head, and passed out. I didn't want to get involved with any legal stuff, so I brought you back here,"

"Isn't that kidnapping?" Calypso laughed.

"Maybe. But it was the least I could do,"

"Well, thanks, anyway,"

"You're welcome. Now get some sleep. Dinner will be ready when you wake up," Percy lay back. He didn't feel tired, but as soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep.

Percy slept for two hours and woke up to the smell of cooking meat. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. Calypso was standing over the stove. Percy got off the couch unsteadily and walked over to the table. His host noticed him and pulled a chair out. Percy murmured his thanks.

"How do you feel, Percy?"

"My head still hurts," he groaned. Calypso held a finger in front of his eyes and moved it around. Percy watched it, though it took some concentration. The finger went down and she stared at his eyes.

"You have a minor concussion. You'll be fine as long as you don't exert yourself,"

"So can I go back?" Percy asked. He wanted to get back to the Neptune to apologize to Poseidon and to see Annabeth. Mostly to see Annabeth. Calypso shook her head.

"Not yet. At least two days so I can keep an eye on you." Percy's nurse stood and went back to the stove.

"What're you cooking?"

"Beef stew. It's my mother's recipe." She dumped chopped carrots into a bubbling pot. Percy lay his head down. He was exhausted. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed. He started to reach for it, but Calypso slapped his hand.

"No phone. The LED light will make your concussion worse." she picked it up and frowned.

"Who's it from?"

"Annabeth," she replied.

"What's it say?" Percy asked. Calypso read the message.

"Where are you? We need to talk. Come over to my place." Percy blinked. Annabeth wanted him to come over? He had a pretty good idea as to what they were gonna talk about. "Should I reply?"

"Yeah, uh, tell her I'll be over," Calypso tapped back the response. She set the device down and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked.

"I'd prefer you stay a little longer under my care. Sounds like Annabeth needs you," Percy detected a slight undertone of jealousy. He did want to stay with Calypso, but he needed to go to Annabeth. Percy got up and hugged Calypso. Rarely did Percy initiate hugs.

"Thanks for looking out for me," he whispered. "How'd you know how to do it?" Calypso sniffled a bit.

"I want to be a doctor when I get outta college. Might as well get ahead now."

"You're in high school?" She nodded and pulled back. Taking Percy's hand she led him to the front door and handed him a pair of sunglasses.

"Wear these when you go outside. Rest for a few days and text me how you feel."

"I don't have your number, though."

"I put it in while you slept." Percy checked. Her number was indeed there. Percy added a hospital emoji. She smiled sadly at him.

"Goodbye, Percy." Calypso kissed his cheek and gently pushed him out the door. Percy stared at the red paint, then at the address. He looked around at the surrounding buildings to get his bearings and walked off, heading for a road. He flagged down a taxi.

"Where to, kid?"

"Neptune Building," Silently, he added, _Take me home._

Annabeth paced her room nervously. It was a good thing Athena or Malcolm weren't there, or Athena would have thought her daughter was going insane. Malcolm would have tried to act like a psychiatrist. She checked her phone every few seconds, which she knew was futile. It would buzz if Percy texted. After the seemingly hundredth time she checked it, a chime ripped through the silence.

**Here**. Annabeth ran to the door and threw it open. Percy Jackson stood in her doorway. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes. He looked depressed. Had Annabeth's words done that to him? Hopefully not.

"Hi." he mumbled. Annabeth hugged him fiercely.

"Percy, I am so sorry. I didn't mean that and I was stressed out from my mom and-" she broke down crying. Percy patted her back.

"S' okay, Chase. You wanted to talk?" Annabeth let go.

"Yeah, come in," Percy walked in. Her apartment wasn't much different from Piper's other than the furniture. Annabeth sat on the couch and Percy plopped down next to her. The friends were silent for a moment before Annabeth spoke.

"We both know what this is about,"

"Yeah. That night at the pool," Percy supplied.

"Piper texted me earlier. She said we needed to talk,"

"Yeah, I talked to her today. Helped me a lot,"

"What do we need to talk about?"

"Let's review. We talked, almost kissed, you ranted, I kissed you, and you dipped. What do you want to talk about,"

"Our feelings,"

"Like therapy?" Annabeth laughed slightly.

"No, stupid. Well, yeah, I guess," she said.

"Okay. You go first." Percy shifted.

"Blunt or complicated?"

"Blunt,"

"Okay. Annabeth Chase, I have a crush on you." Annabeth stared at the floor and mumbled something Percy couldn't hear. "What'd you say?"

"I do too." Percy stared into her gray eyes and smiled slightly.

"Now what?" he asked.

"I don't know. My mom can't know we're together. I told you what would happen,"

"Wait, do you want to be together?" Annabeth looked out the window.

"Yes, Percy, I do." She turned back to her friend.

"Piper gave me a suggestion,"

"Which was?"

"Closed doors. Whenever we're alone or with our friends when we're not in public. No one will know except for our friends," Percy explained. Annabeth considered the idea. Finally she nodded and smiled.

"Okay." she sat down on the couch and put her head on Percy's chest, gazing up at him. "Are you gonna kiss me or…"

"I'll do it," Percy leaned down. When their lips made contact, it felt right. Not like in the hot tub. This was way better, in Percy's opinion. Maybe they weren't public yet, that could wait. For now, this would work.

**Percabeth is unofficially happening! Shoutout to ZebraGirl202 for commenting on EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER and also SPQR-Alan. SPQR-Alan, I am taking idea #2. ZG202, expect many, MANY more chapters. Review, plz! It makes me happy to see those in my inbox. -RFA**


	10. This Can't be happening

**Why the hell am I uploading this at three in the morning? Oh, it's because I can't sleep! Heads up, there's two f-bombs. Probably doesn't matter, but whatever. Also, y'all are most likely gonna hate me for this chapter. **

Percy lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It was just two days before Christmas and his mom was coming to visit for a few days. He couldn't wait. Granted, it had been a week, but that was far too long. Yesterday, Poseidon called her and put Percy on. She was going to divorce Gabe when she went back after Christmas. That was the best news he had ever gotten, better than Annabeth saying yes to being his girlfriend.

Annabeth lay next to him, her arms wrapped around his chest, fast asleep. Percy was lucky Poseidon wasn't there. He was pretty sure his father wouldn't care. Most likely. Percy ran his fingers through Annabeth's blond curls absentmindedly. She stirred and opened her eyes. Her beautiful gray eyes. Percy loved staring at them. They were deep, like an overcast sky. Seemingly flat, but ripe with depth and mystery.

"Rise and shine." he said. Annabeth groaned.

"How long was I out?"

"Long enough for me to be thinking."

"So about a year."

"I was thinking more like an hour." Annabeth buried her face in Percy's pillow.

"Seriously?" her muffled voice asked.

"Yeah. At least you didn't have to talk to me," Percy noted. Annabeth glared at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Shut up," Annabeth pulled her face of the pillow and kissed Percy's cheek. "What time is it?"

"Almost three,"

"I should probably go. Malcolm went to his friend's and said he'd be back by now," They got off the bed. Percy laced his hand through hers. Annabeth grabbed her shoes and they went to the elevator. Percy hit the button and waited. The elevator finally dinged and the doors slid open. He kissed his girlfriend and she got on. The doors shut and Percy was alone. He looked around the penthouse, not sure what to do. Might as well watch a movie. Percy sat on the couch and flicked through Netflix. After not seeing anything interesting, he shuffled over to the DVDs stored next to it. He pulled out _Finding Nemo_ and slid it in. As the opening logos played, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Annabeth.

_Thinking about you. 3_

Smiling, he typed back a reply.

**U 2 ;)**

The movie started playing and Percy tried to watch it. But after and hour, he fell fast asleep. The whole time he slept, he couldn't get rid of the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Though at least two of the friends were happy, there was one who was decidedly not. Jason glared at the stairwell wall, extremely mad. His father, Zeus Olympiad, had called and broken some news to his son. Because of inter-company rivalries and complications, he and Piper could no longer be together. Jason didn't want to break up with Piper, but his dad had threatened military academy. Saddened and angry, Jason stomped down the stairs to Piper's room. When he arrived he knocked. The door flew open to reveal Aphrodite, Piper's mom.

"Oh! Hello, Jason! Are you here to see Piper?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"She's in her room. Do you want to come in?"

"No, I'm okay." Aphrodite closed the door a bit and he heard her call Piper. His girlfriend stepped out and shut the door.

"Hey, baby," she kissed him. "What's up?" Noting Jason's expression, she frowned, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing good."

"What happened?"

"My dad. He… he told me something."

"What?" Piper's heart beat faster, a sense of dread growing.

"He told me that relations are getting complicated among everyone in the upper management and, well, he said we have to break up." Piper was silent. She blinked back tears. "Pipes, I don't want to do this, but he gave me no choice."

"No. You could have stood up to him."

"He threatened military school! We can still be friends!" Jason said, desperately. Piper sobbed.

"Stop talking! Just stop! I still love you, Jason! Why can't you?"

"I do!"

"If you did, we wouldn't be having this conversation!" she yelled. Jason choked back tears of his own.

"I don't want this any more than you d-"

"Stop talking!" Piper yelled. She raised her hand and smacked Jason across his cheek. She stormed back into her apartment and slammed the door. Stunned, Jason ran back to the stairwell. He ran back upstairs to his father's penthouse. Thalia was sitting on the couch when her burst through the door.

"Jason?" her concern fell on deaf ears as Jason ran to his room. He slammed the door and collapsed on his bed, sobbing his eyes out.

Little did he know Piper was doing the exact same thing. She hugged a polaroid to her chest and sniffed.

"Pipes, if you need to leave, I understand," her mother's voice said through her door softly. "If you need to go to someone's, that's fine. Just be back by tomorrow evening." Piper wiped her nose.

"Thanks, Mom. I'm gonna go to Leo's." Piper left the apartment and went down to the parking garage. She fished her car keys out of her pocket and started up her car. She pulled out onto the congested roads and made her way to Leo's shop.

It took a bit longer than usual to get there, due to rush hour. When she did, she got out and went into the garage.

"Hello?"

"Hold on!" a voice that was definitely not Leo's said. Piper sat down in a chair and buried her face in her hands. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and looked up. Leo's older sister, Nyssa sat next to her, concern etche across her face.

"You okay, McLean?" Piper shook her head. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Is Leo here?" Piper asked, avoiding the question. Nyssa frowned.

"He left an hour ago to go pick up some scraps Dad had left over. He'll be back in a few."

"Few minutes?"

"Hours." Piper stood.

"That's too long. I'll leave. Sorry for wasting your time, Nys."

"It's alright, sis. D'you want me to tell Leo you stopped by?"

"No, thank you. I don't want him to worry." Nyssa nodded. Piper got into her car and drove off, heading for the Neptune.

When she arrived, it had to rain. Hard. Huge drops splattered on her windshield. Steeling her nerves, Piper opened the door and dashed out into the downpour. It wasn't very far to the main entrance, but she was soaked when the doorman greeted her. Piper recognized him as Triton, Poseidon's former head of security. He nodded in greeting and handed over a towel. Piper accepted it gratefully and dried off as best she could. Triton opened the door and the soaked girl went in.

Making her way to the elevators, Piper tried not to think about what just happened. Jason broke up with her. He. Broke. Up. Granted, his dad had forced hi, but couldn't Jason resisted. That was one of the things Piper didn't like much about Jason. He always followed the rules. Getting onto an open lift, she pondered whether to see Percy or Annabeth. Annabeth would help, but she was somewhat like Jason, a rule follower. Percy it is.

Percy stared at the message that had appeared a bit after Annabeth left

_**Stay away from my daughter. I will ruin you. -Athena Pallas**_

How could she? She didn't know. Percy recalled what Annabeth had said about her mother. Athena had her ways of finding information. He blinked. Two days was all he got with Annabeth. Two freaking days. Forty-eight hours. Two thousand, eight hundred and eighty minutes. One hundred, seventy-two thousand, eight hundred seconds. Percy set his phone down.

"Fuck!" he yelled. His fist slammed into the couch cushion. More hits rained down, all his anger and frustration being released. "Fucking shit!" he stopped and breathed heavily. His phone buzzed again.

U home?

It was Piper. Barely a second passed after reading it than a knock came from the door. Percy ran over to it and opened it. Piper stood in his doorway, soaked from the downpour. Her eyes were red and blotchy from tears.

"Uh, you go-" Piper cut him off by kissing him. She put her hands on his neck, pulling him in closer. Percy, startled at first, did the same. They held for at least a minute, before pulling apart, gasping for air. "What was that for?" Percy asked, understandably confused. Piper sighed.

"I should explain,"

"Ya think? First though, you wanna change?"

"Do you have any girl's clothes?"

"No, but I have some tight running pants and a numerous spare sweatshirts." Piper walked in, taking off her shoes and setting them by the door.

"Show me. I'm gonna need a towel, though."

"Yeah, that too." Percy took her hand and led her upstairs to the bathroom. She went in and closed the door. Percy rummaged through his closet. He grabbed the pants and sweatshirt. Walking back to the bathroom, he knocked.

"You decent?"

"Yep." the door opened a crack. Percy averted his eyes and handed over the clothes, but not before catching a glimpse of Piper's tan back. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to wipe from his mind.

_I'ma keep that_. His voice said.

_Perv. _he replied.

Piper took the clothes and shut the door. Percy waited a bit before the door opened and his friend stepped out. She gripped Percy tightly in a hug and let a sob loose. Percy breathed in her vanilla scent.

"What's wrong, Pipes?"

"Jason b-broke up wi-with me." she blubbered. Percy frowned and sighed.

"Come into my room. We have some stuff to talk about." Piper nodded and they went into Percy's room. Piper sat on the bed and told Percy what had happened.

**Hey, hey, calm *dodges assortment of dangerous projectiles* down. This is a really important chapter and *ducks beneath a missile* I know where I'm gonna go. There's a ton more chapters to come, so bear with me. Review, plz! Hate, praise, regular, your grandma's soup recipe, whatever. I'm tired after writing this, so it's sleepy time. Will update... whenever. -RFA**


	11. Actually, this is better

**This picks up right after the last chapter, so if you need a refresher go read the last part. If you're too lazy to re-read or just want a smol refresher, Jason and Annabeth broke up with Piper and Percy, so they're talking about it. Also, Piper kissed Percy.**

"My mom had just gotten back from her California trip and we were watching Netflix. She planned on taking me to the mall for five hours so we could catch up. I had gotten thirsty, so I went to the fridge to grab a drink for myself and for her. Then, when Jason knocked and he said his thing, I slapped him and drove to Leo's. He wasn't there, so I considered who to go to. Hazel and Frank would be attached at the hip, Nico would be sulking, Reyna had, and probably still has, a crush on Jason, Thalia is his freaking sister, and Annabeth is almost as much of a rule follower as her blond buddy. You were the best person I could think of." Piper said. Her voice was wobbly, as though she couldn't believe what had just gone down.. Percy stared at the floor. "That and I, I kinda have a crush on you, Jackson." Percy looked up and into her multi-colored eyes. He gave a small grin.

"Ya think?" Piper laughed sadly.

"Yeah, I do." She scooted closer to her friend and rester her head on his shoulder. Percy put and arm around her waist.

"You actually came at a good time."

"I did?"

"Yeah. Look." Percy showed her the message from Athena. Piper gasped.

"Oh, Percy," Piper hugged him. "That's horrible."

"I don't even know how she found out," Percy said angrily. Piper remembered something Annabeth had told her a while ago.

"Cameras."

"What?"

"Security cameras. Athena installed them around her apartment in a case of paranoia-induced caution. You went over, right?"

"Yeah. We kissed."

"Athena saw that."

"Wouldn't she have said something though?" Percy asked. Piper shook her head.

"Athena's crafty. She probably didn't say anything on purpose to give you guys a false sense of security." Percy didn't say anything for a moment.

"That bitch. Who does she think she is?" he said, his voice tight with rage.

"Athena Pallas, head designer of Olympus Transportation."

"She's not the head anymore. Apollo and your mom both got the same job. Probably got angry at my dad and Zeus. She couldn't take it out on Dad, so I was the next best thing." Percy said. Barely controlled rage seeped through. Piper kissed his cheek.

"Easy, cowboy. It'll be fine." Percy took her hand and they fell silent.

"What do we do now?" Percy said.

"We could make out." Piper supplied half jokingly. Percy nodded like this made sense.

"Alright."

"Wait, you want to?" Piper asked, surprised. Percy shrugged.

"If you do, I'm okay with it."

"I want to."

"Then let's go." Piper tackled him, lips locked with his. She gently bit his bottom lip and his mouth opened. Percy moved his hands to Piper's back and she sighed. Percy felt her hands all in his hair. It was awesome.

Gover clacked his way off the elevator and knocked on the door. No answer. He tapped out a code he worked out with Percy. Nothing. Percy had told him he would be home. Sighing, Grover opened the door. He looked around. The television was paused on _Finding Nemo_. Percy was definitely home. Grover looked around. A pair of soaked shoes lay by the door. Wait. Those were Piper's. Quickly, Percy's friend went to the stairs and stumped up. He peeked in the bathroom. Sopping wet clothes hung on towel hooks, drip-drying. Grover listened carefully. He heard sounds from Percy's room. Mattress springs creaking, slight laughter. Tickle fight? Cautiously, Grover opened the door. There was Percy in a full-on game of tonsil hockey with none other than Piper McLean. Grover's eyebrows achieved second-stage orbit.

"What are you doing!?" he yelled. The two nearly jumped to the ceiling and turned as red as a tomato.

"Grover! What the hell, man!?"

"Dude, you're the one making out with Piper! You're also the one dating Annabeth, I might add. And she's dating Jason! Don't say what the hell to me!"

"Grover, stop freaking out!" Piper said. Percy nodded. "It's fine."

"No, it most definitely is not! What's Annabeth gonna say?! And Jason!"

"Annabeth isn't gonna say anything. Neither is Jason." Percy assured his friend.

"Wait, did they cheat on you two?"

"No!" Piper exclaimed. "They broke up with us." Grover was about to say something, but stopped.

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah. Jason broke up with me earlier."

"And Athena fucking texted me to get away from Annabeth."

"Huh?"

"We're done. Jason and I, Percy and Annabeth."

"So you two are together?" Percy glanced at Piper.

"Are we?"

"That's a conversation for another time. For now, kiss me." Piper leaned in. Percy flicked his hand towards his friend.

"Grover, scat." Grover crossed his arms.

"Oh, no no no. I'm staying. You said we were gonna hang out right? We were gonna go to the Pier 62 Skatepark."

"I did, didn't I?" Percy said, dumbly. Grover nodded as if this was obvious. Piper looked from Grover to Percy, back to Grover, and back to Percy.

"You never told us you were a skater."

"Not something I like to advertise. But yes, I skate."

"Please don't tell me you do too." Grover said to Piper.

"Yeah, I do." she said. Grover threw his hands up.

"Are you kidding me?!" Ignoring his friend's plight, Percy turned to Piper.

"Wanna come with us?" he asked. Piper beamed.

"Got an extra board?"

"Are you fucking serious?!" Grover yelled.

Grover crossed his arms and glared at Percy, thinking angry thoughts at his friend for letting Piper, who was obviously in love with him and vice versa, go with them. The boy in question was busy wowing some little kids at the skatepark. He shot up the halfpipe and twirled his board in midair. The anklebiters shrieked with delight. Percy stopped and yelled up to Piper.

"Okay, your turn!"

"With pleasure, my dear Percy." Piper buckled her helmet. She kicked off and shot across the concrete, up a ramp. Grabbing the bottom of the board, she soared over the ramp and landed. Turning, she rocketed down into the bowl and flew back up. When she got to the right point, she stuck a hand out and held a handstand on the edge. Rocking back, she stood up and bowed. The group of five year olds clapped enthusiastically.

"Not bad, McLean." Percy said.

"Oh, shut it, Jackson." Piper kissed Percy before turning to a young girl asking to see her board. A young boy tugged on Percy's shirt.

"What's up, little man?"

"Is she your girlfriend?" Percy considered this. What were they? They obviously had strong feelings for each other and had been making out not quite an hour ago.

"Yeah, she is." Piper noticed him staring at her and winked. Not wanting to sit alone and wanting to leave, Grover got up and made his way over.

"Heads up, man!" Grover turned in time to see a skateboard flying at his face. He ducked and it slew over his head. Off balance, he toppled over. Percy saw his friend fall and raced over. He knelt next to the fallen boy.

"You good, G-Man?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Percy helped him up and Piper handed him his crutches. The owner of the board came over. He seemed about fifteen.

"Oh, shit, man. I'm so sorry. I tried to pull off an ollie and I lost balance and-" he stammered. Grover held up his hand.

"It's alright. I dunno why I thought it would be a good idea to come here, what with my foot and all." the boy stared at Grover's left foot.

"I'm really sorry if you got hurt."

"I've been hurt by worse than a skateboard to the face. I was hit by a car a while ago. This happened." Grover gestured to his twisted and limp leg. "Total loss of motor control and slightly more in my other leg." The kid walked away, stunned.

"Can't believe I almost hit a cripple." Grover noticed Percy bristle slightly at the cripple comment.

"Perce, don't worry about it. I am a cripple."

"You good though?" Percy asked. Grover nodded. "Okay. We should probably go. It's getting late. Dad's gonna be home soon." He picked up his board and laced his hand with Piper's. They got in Grover's car and he drove to the Jupiter to drop off Piper. When they arrived, she got out, Percy with her. He handed her the board she used.

"Keep it."

"Walk me to my place?" she asked, smiling. Percy tilted his head.

"You have to ask?" They walked in and went up to Piper's place. Piper heard something coming from inside. She cracked open the door to see a sight she really didn't want to. There was her mother, completely naked, giving a lap dance to some guy. She shut the door quickly and quietly. Her eyes were wide when she turned back to Percy.

"What?" he asked.

"Yeah, my mom's busy right now." Percy put his ear against the door and listened.

"Sounds pretty busy. I don't think you want to disturb her." They went back down to where Grover was waiting. He frowned.

"Your mom not home?"

"She is. Just busy." Piper replied. Grover raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"Might as well stay at my place." Percy said, kissing Piper's cheek.

"Hey! No PDA in my car!" Grover yelled. Percy rolled his eyes.

"Your dad'll be okay with it right?"

"Yeah, as long as we don't do it."

"Oh, please. We're responsible, growing, teens. Besides, you'd be a horrible dad."

"Thanks for that." Percy grumbled. Piper laughed and kissed her sort-of boyfriend.

When Grover pulled up to the Neptune, he dropped off the two passengers. He explained that he had some eco-rally to attend again. The two went up to the penthouse. Percy was glad to see Poseidon wasn't home yet.

"My dad isn't home yet. Whaddya wanna do?"

"This." Piper grabbed Percy's shirt and slammed him against the wall.

_Two make-out sessions within two hours. That has to be a record. _The voice said.

_It's a good one. Now shut up. I need to concentrate._

**I feel evil writing Pipercy and it's awesome. ZB202, if you want drama, you'll get some. I do like Pipercy, after Percabeth, of course. ChocoChomper, don't you DARE try to take my computer or else I will yeet you into Tartarus. Review! And also go check out my SuperFic on Wattpad. Name is on profile. -RFA**


	12. Sorta-friends-with-benefits

**Guys, I'm sorry I haven't posted much. I was on break this past week and it was my cousin's birthday so we had to do stuff for that. Then my family went on a trip and my mom said I couldn't bring my computer to type and my phone died because I forgot a charger. But forget all that! Here's the next chapter.**

Poseidon stepped off the elevator and into his home. The pair of shoes next to the door sparked his interest. He examined them. Not Annabeth's. Definitely not Percy's. Poseidon shrugged it off. The sounds of a movie invaded his ears. Curious, Poseidon went to investigate. The television was playing _Finding Nemo_. Percy sat with his arm around a girl.

"Percy?"

"Oh, hey. I was wondering when you'd be home. Need to talk to ya." Percy got up and walked over to his dad.

"Who's that? And are those her shoes?"

"I'll explain all that, just come on," Percy led his very confused father to the stairs.

"That's Piper,"

"McLean?

"Yeah. I got a lot to explain." Poseidon listened intently as Percy explained everything since they yelled at each other. He complimented his son on his kisses, was understandably frustrated when Percy told him it was a secret, and practically exploded when Percy showed him the message from Athena.

"What the hell does she think she's doing?! You and Annabeth are perfect for each other!" Percy tried to shush Poseidon.

"I know, but I really like Piper. We both just went through forced break-ups and need each other. Annabeth is awesome, but I don't want to worry about Athena trying to kill me."

"She won't kill you. That's a bit extreme." Poseidon turned on his phone. "I need to call your mother about Christmas." Percy grinned. How could he forget that?

"Okay. Thanks for listening, Dad."

"No problem, son." Father and son blinked.

"Did you just-" Poseidon looked askance at Percy, his eyes twinkling.

"I heard-" Percy grinned.

"Go call Mom. Also when I went to drop off Pipes at her place, her mom seemed really busy, so is it okay if she crashes here tonight?"

"Of course." Poseidon grinned and Percy saw where he got his smile from. The one on his dad's face was a mirror image of his. Percy went back to Piper. She was curled up in a blanket, eyelids drooping. She sat up when Percy approached.

"What took so long?"

"I told him everything that went down,"

"Even us?"

"Yep. He cleared you to stay over, by the way."

"I figured. I texted my mom. She still hasn't responded," Piper said, annoyed.

"I wonder why…" Percy mused. Piper hit his arm.

"Shut up and hold me," Piper snuggled up against Percy, who wrapped his arms around her.

Later, when the movie was over, they went up to Percy's room.

"Do you have any sweatpants?" Piper asked. Percy looked in his closet and threw a pair out. She picked them up and went to change. Percy turned off the lights when a glint of gold on his nightstand caught his eye. He picked it up. It was a condom. Percy sighed.

"Godammit, Dad,"

"What's that?" asked Piper, suddenly. Percy fumbled and slipped it into his pocket.

"Ah, nothing." he felt his face get hot.

"Lemme see." Piper reached for his hand, which was still holding it in his pocket. She forced Percy's hand out, took a look at the golden wrapping, and looked at Percy. A raised eyebrow made Percy very nervous. "I can't tell if this is a joke or serious."

"It's my dad, I swear. He put that there to mess with me." Percy pulled his hand away and set it on his nightstand. "We won't be needing it."

"You sure?" Piper asked, a mischievous smile playing across her lips. Percy blinked.

"Now I can't tell if you're joking or serious." Piper laughed and threw her arms around Percy's neck.

"Guess we'll never know." she kissed Percy and pulled back. "What's the deal with beds?"

"Uh, you can have mine. I'll sleep on the floor." Piper frowned.

"That doesn't seem right."

"It does. You're my guest and a girl so…"

"So just because I'm a girl means I get pampered?"

"Yeah?"

"Because you're right. But this bed is big enough for both of us." Piper leaped onto the mattress and patted next to her. Sighing, Percy flopped onto it. He pulled back the blankets. Before he was able to get under, Piper scrambled in. Percy stared at her.

"Really?"

"Yep. Get over here," Percy grinned and crawled over. He slid next to Piper and stared at the ceiling. Piper slid her hand onto Percy's stomach. He flinched.

"Your hand is cold,"

"I'm trying to warm it up,"

"Huh. You know what else is cold?"

"What?"

"Snow," Percy said, nodding seriously. Piper stared at him.

"Stop talking," she said and snuggled against him. Percy wrapped his arm around Piper and held her close. He kissed the top of her head.

"I thought you liked listening to me talk,"

"Not like that I don't,"

"Oh, shut up," A knock on the door made them let go of each other and scoot to as far away as possible. Poseidon poked his head in.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Percy sat up.

"Nah. We were about to fall asleep,"

"Are you being smart?"

"I am, sir. I don't know about your son though. He's not that bright to begin with." Piper smiled at Percy, who frowned.

"That was low." Poseidon chuckled.

"Well, good night, kids. Percy, make sure to use my gift." He shut the door, blocking his son's shocked spluttering.

Piper rolled closer to her friend. She kissed his cheek.

"Now what?"

"Well, we have all night, don't we?"

"Uh, for what?"

"Sleep, stupid." Piper rolled her eyes. "Didja think we were gonna have sex?"

"No! I just-" He was stopped by Piper's lips on his.

"Percy?" she asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." They went back in, lips locked and in full make-out mode. Piper moved so she was on top of Percy, hands grasping the sides of his face. Percy held onto her waist. Their legs tangled together. Piper pushed her tongue against Percy's lips. The kiss went from closed to open. It was Percy's first time tounging and it was odd, to say the least. After a few minutes, Piper pulled away and gazed into the sea green eyes.

"I love you, Percy Jackson," she whispered. Percy smirked

"I do too, Piper McLean,"

"Are you gonna kiss me like you mean it then?"

"Keep talking and I won't." Percy pulled Piper down. They rolled onto their sides.

"It's getting kinda hot." Piper said and pulled Percy's sweatshirt over her head and threw it onto the floor. Percy had seen girls in bikinis before, but he had never seen someone in a bra, much less in his own bed. Gripping Percy's t-shirt, Piper pulled it over his head where it joined hers.

"Have you done this before?" Percy asked. Piper shook her head.

"I'm winging this," she said. Percy smirked.

"It's working." He glanced at the packet. "Will we need it?"

"If we get there. Not yet, though. For now, just kiss me," she murmured. Percy obliged.

Poseidon stood outside, his ear against the door. No sex sounds. Good Percy. He went back to his room and called Sally. She didn't answer, though a message did pop up.

_**It's late. What do you want?**_

**Just wondering when you will be here.**

_**Tomorrow at 11 a.m. How is he?**_

**He's fine. Some drama went down, but I think he's handling it fine.**

_**What sort of drama?**_

**Girl-boy drama. Nothing major.**

_**Good. He's never really been in a real relationship. There was one girl a few years ago he had a crush on. I'm not sure where it went.**_

**Well, he did have a crush on this one girl here, but her mother ordered him to stay away from her. He's found someone else though. I'm sure he's fine.**

_**As long as he's happy.**_

**He is.**

_**Good.**_

**Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Sally.**

_**Good night, Poseidon.**_

Poseidon turned off his phone. Sally was coming tomorrow and would stay for Christmas. He was excited. Opening his sock drawer, he checked to make sure the small box was there. It was. Poseidon shut the drawer and fell asleep.

Annabeth and Jason, despite being a few miles away from each other, felt the exact same things. Anger, sadness, betrayal, and hopelessness. Their parents had told them, no, ordered them, to break up with the person they loved. Jason wasn't sure how he felt about Piper and how she felt about him. Yes, he liked her, but did he love her? Annabeth mulled over the same problem. Percy had a crush on her, that much was true. But she was different. She would do anything to be with Percy. She loved him. And Athena couldn't prevent that.

The two people unfortunate enough to have been forced from their significant other were busy. While Piper's hands were tangled in his hair, Percy was thinking about a few things. One, how good Piper's hair smelled. It smelled like vanilla. Two, are aliens real? He supposed so. It's a big universe and there's the Drake Equation along with the Fermi Paradox to think about. Three, where was he with Piper? Yes, they were and are kissing, but were they in an actual relationship? If he had to guess, Percy would say this was more of a friends-with-benefits type thing. Oh well. He would deal with that in the morning.

**CC, please don't do that. Big question for y'all: Do you think aliens exist? Also, from looking at traffic stats, reviews, favs/follows, this story is currently my most popular! *throws confetti* Yay! I love all of you! I will work on the next chapter, but it might not be up for awhile because I have stuff after school all next week. Seriously though, I love you guys. -RFA**


	13. Someone welcome shows up

**This is a re-upload because some crazy shit happened and it got all garbled. Here's the *hopefully* fixed version.**

Morning sunlight shone through the window. It landed on Percy's closed eyes. He groaned and rolled over, his arm touching a source of warmth. His eyes shot open. Who was with him in the same bed? Carefully, he sat up. He looked at the sleeping person's face. It was Piper. Percy blinked and recalled everything from yesterday. He sighed and lay back down. Piper stirred and rolled over. She opened one eye sleepily. The sunlight collected in her kaleidoscopic iris, making it shimmer yellow.

"What time is it?" she groaned. Percy glanced at the clock.

"Ten in the morning," came the reply.

"Ugh. Not a morning person." Piper sat up. Percy kissed her cheek.

"Mood. What time do you have to be back?" he asked softly.

"I think two would be fine. Unless she tells me I need to be back sooner,"

"Okay. You hungry?"

"Food? Now. Please." Piper swung her legs out of bed and pulled on her shirt. Percy went over to the door and the two went to the kitchen. Percy rummaged through the pantry.

"Here." he tossed a box of cereal to Piper, who caught it and opened the fridge. She wrinkled her nose at the sight of bacon. Quickly grabbing the milk jug, she shut the door. Percy set two bowls down and snagged the box. The friends ate silently for a moment, then Percy spoke up.

"I was thinking last night." Piper frowned.

"About what?"

"Us. And where we are right now," Piper set down her spoon. She had been dreading this conversation for a while now.

"Well, I'd say we're in your kitchen eating breakfast," she said, trying to lessen the tension. Percy smiled, though it was a bit sad.

"No, like, where our relationship is," Percy looked his friend in the eye. Piper sighed.

"I was thinking the same stuff. Perce, we're friends, right?"

"Yeah, duh."

"The thing is, normal friends don't make out four times in two days."

"You kept track?" Percy raised an eyebrow. Piper smirked.

"Possibly. My point is, we're in a gray area. Beyond friends, I guess, but not quite friends with benefits. We haven't had sex, but we are rather intimate. You have a crush on me, I have one on you. But we both know this wouldn't last if we got serious. Your feelings for Annabeth are way bigger than for me. Same with mine for Jason." Percy considered this.

"So basically, we just used each other as a rebound?" Piper nodded.

"Yep." Percy pursed his lips.

"So are we done?" Piper nodded, somewhat sadly.

"Yes, Percy. We are." They were silent for a moment longer. Finally, Percy looked at Piper.

"Can you stay here longer though? I'll take you back to your place and we can officially end it there," Piper laughed.

"Fine." Percy smiled like a little kid. Poseidon walked down the stairs.

"Good morning. Sleep well?"

"Hey, Dad. I slept fine," Percy replied. Piper snorted.

"You snore like a woodchipper,"

"That wasn't me!"

"It may have been me, actually. Percy, your mother is arriving in a few hours We need to set up the tree as well. Miss McLean, your mother called me and you need to go home. Percy, would you mind walking her home?"

"Sure," A few minutes later, the two were in Poseidon's limo, heading to the Jupiter. They walked up to Piper's room. Piper stopped at the door and turned to Percy.

"Thanks for letting me crash at your place," she said.

"No problem," Percy replied. Not sure what to do, the two stood awkwardly, looking anywhere but at the other. Finally, Percy broke the silence.

"So, uh, hopefully this isn't goodbye forever?" Piper laughed and threw her arms around Percy.

"Of course not, silly. We're still friends, remember?" her voice hitched. Percy hugged her.

"Yeah. Friends." he murmured. Piper pulled back and looked up. She kissed him one last time. When she pulled away, her lips formed a sort of sad smile.

"Now go win over Annabeth." She opened the door. Percy grabbed her wrist.

"Good luck with Jason," he said. Piper smiled.

"I don't need luck. I still got him." She shut the door. Percy headed back to the limo.

"Everything alright, sir?" the driver asked. Percy nodded.

"Yeah. Now, onward, Mr. Delphin!" The driver, Delphin, chuckled and drove Percy home.

Percy walked into his home to see Poseidon grappling with a plastic pine tree.

"Ah, Percy, you're home. C'mere and help out your old man," Percy went over and took the part from his father. It took them almost two hours to set it up. In that time, the air was filled with grunting and cursing. They got the main tree set up and simply threw the other decorations on.

Poseidon paced the kitchen nervously. Sally was coming. He glanced at his watch, then his phone, then the stove clock, then the wall clock.

"Hey, Dad!" Percy yelled. "When is my mom getting here?"

"Soon. Go change. As soon as she arrives, we're going out to eat."

"Do I have to be all fancy?"

"At least wear something other than a sweatshirt!"

As he was changing, he heard a few knocks on the front door. Quickly throwing on his shoes, he sprinted downstairs.

"Mom!" Sally Jackson turned at the sound of her son's voice. She held open her arms and they embraced.

"Hi, honey," she said into his hair.

"Mom, I missed you so much,"

"I know you did," Percy let go.

"How's Gabe?" he whispered. Sally frowned.

"He's been… okay." Percy detected uncertainty, as though she made it up on the spot, but he let it go. Poseidon cleared his throat.

"Sally, I can show you where you will be staying." He gestured upstairs. Sally smiled.

"Thank you, Poseidon," Percy grabbed one of her bags and followed his parents upstairs. Sally would be staying in a guest room across from Percy's. A few hours passed in which the fractured family caught up. Finally, Poseidon suggested that they go to dinner.

Percy had never felt so full. They had gone to a somewhat high-end restaurant and Percy had gotten the biggest entreé he could. Which was a mistake, as he felt like throwing up every few seconds.

"Can we go home?" he groaned. Poseidon glanced at his son, who was looking rather like a Thanksgiving turkey.

"Sure." he paid the check and they headed out. Since it was Percy's first time in the Big Apple, Poseidon took a small detour to a New York must-see. When they arrived, Percy stared up at the towering landmark. The lights illuminated his face.

"It's huge," he whispered. The Rockefeller Christmas Tree took his breath away. "Where do they get it?"

"It's selected out of a few hundred. This one is from Washington, I believe." Poseidon couldn't help but be amazed at the size of the tree. "It's getting late. Let's go home." They drove back to the Neptune and went back up to the apartment. Poseidon went into his room, to grab an early present for Percy. He returned with a small box. Percy took it, though confusion flitted across his face.

"Open it," Poseidon urged. Percy tore open the wrapping paper and opened the box.

A blue and green object rested in the tissue paper. Percy lifted it out and examined it. He looked to Poseidon in confusion.

"What is it?"

"Press down on that." Poseidon pointed to a silver button on the side. Percy did so and a golden-brown blade flicked out with a metallic chime. Percy noticed an engraving on the flat of the blade. He tilted it so it was legible.

Riptide

"You got me an engraved switchblade?" he asked. Poseidon nodded. Percy set the blade back and ran a finger over the handle.

"It's made of abalone and wood," Poseidon said. His son raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that illegal?" Sally asked, her motherly instincts in overdrive.

"Only if the carrier does not have a hunting or fishing license. All that has been taken care of. This city is not as safe as it seems and I want him to be protected. One of his friends has a conceal and carry." Sally seemed unsatisfied, but nodded anyway.

"Shall I tell him the news?"

"Wait, what news?" Percy asked.

"I'm going to divorce Gabe and move here." said Sally, beaming. Percy's jaw dropped. He tried to form a coherent sentence, but failed miserably. Poseidon chuckled.

"Three weeks, Percy. Then you're stuck with her forever," Percy sniffled and quickly wiped a tear from his eye.

"That's… that's awesome. Forget everything else. My Christmas is done," Hugging his mother, he sniffed again. "Thank you, Mom." His mother returned the hug.

"Go to sleep. Big day tomorrow." Percy let go. He ran to his room with a whoop. Sally smiled. Poseidon turned to her.

"You should go to bed too. I'll get all the gifts out."

"Alright. Good night and merry Christmas, Poseidon." Sally went upstairs. Poseidon sat at the table for a moment, thinking about that box in his sock drawer. He would ask soon enough. But when?

**I'ma say this now: I hate writing this part of the story. It's April and the middle of spring. I dunno why I started this during winter break, but I had to start somewhere. This whole chapter was a filler and it sucks. Blurgh. Oh well. If you though it sucked, please say so. -RFA**


	14. Thanks for sharing

**This ALSO got messed up. Oh well.**

Three days had passed since Christmas. Sally was still in New York. She would be staying until New Years, then go back to Ohio. Poseidon stared at himself in his bathroom mirror.

"You gotta ask at some point," he muttered. Poseidon considered his options. New Years was a few days away, but Zeus was hosting the annual party this year, so that wasn't an option. A dinner date was out of the question. They had never gone on a date before, just a one night fling. Poseidon sighed. The only good idea was to just ask here. Unfortunately, Sally was out shopping. Poseidon's phone buzzed.

Get to HQ now. It was from Zeus. Poseidon sighed. He left the bathroom and went downstairs. Percy was watching Captain America: Civil War with Jason, Leo, Frank, and Nico.

"Boys, I have to go. Percy, your mother will be back within an hour or so. Try not to destroy the building while I'm gone,"

"Got it, Dad," Percy said absently.

"Sure thing, Uncle." Jason said and munched on a candy bar. Leo slurped his chocolate milk and gave a thumbs up.

"I'll keep them under control," Frank assured Poseidon.

"If they do anything remotely dangerous, I'll kill them," Nico muttered. Everyone stared at him in horror.

"Uh, okay," Poseidon stammered. He boarded the elevator and headed to his car.

A few minutes later, Poseidon arrived at Olympus Office. The towering skyscraper was a few floors shorter than the Empire State Building. Tinted glass went from near black, to green, to blue. The colors represented the three areas of Olympus Transportation. Air, sea, and ground. Poseidon got out and walked in, flashing his I.D. to Hercules, the door security guard. Poseidon's secretary, Brittany, walked up to him.

"Mr. Poseidon, your brothers are in the office." Poseidon nodded in thanks. He walked up the stairs to the main office. When he entered, a voice called him out.

"Can you be any earlier?" Zeus asked. The youngest of the Olympiad brothers was also the most intimidating. His blond hair was accented with black stripes. His beard was shot with white that seemed like lightning. A crisp pinstripe suit screamed "Boss".

"Oh, no, no, Zeusy. Poseidon runs on his own time," a sneering voice said. Hades lounged in a chair, his feet kicked up on the coffee table they were gathered around. Hades wore a three piece black suit. His tie seemed to be made of ghastly faces. His clean shaven face was in a sneer. "He's much to good for us."

"Says the goth," Poseidon retorted. Hades stood.

"For the last time, I am not goth!"

"Really? The black suit betrays you." Poseidon noted.

"Enough! We have a much bigger problem than petty ego clashes!" Zeus thundered. Poseidon stuck his tongue out at Hades, then sat in a green chair.

"What's this about, Zeus?" he asked.

"Nothing good." Zeus sighed. Poseidon frowned.

"Southwest had a Thunderbolt malfunction? I think it's the turbines-"

"No, the Thunderbolts are fine. He's talking about something else," Hades said.

"I'm confused. If it's not a product, what is it? A strike?" said Poseidon.

"Yes," Zeus said. Poseidon blinked in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" he asked. Hades nodded.

"All the workers in Frisco are on strike," he said. "Nothing has been getting done. A skeleton staff is maintaining what they can, but they're getting tied up. And it's not just grunts. Everyone is striking." Poseidon couldn't believe it.

"Why?" he asked.

"Apparently, we aren't paying them enough. And some of them want promoted," Zeus said, annoyed. Poseidon frowned.

"Why don't we just raise their pay? Lord knows we have the money to spare,"

"If we raise the Frisco pay, we have to raise the New York pay," Hades said.

"What? No, we don't. Everyone here is already paid more than out there," Hades furrowed his brow. Why hadn't he thought of that?

"You're right," he said. "Zeus, we should go out there,"

"Why?"

"We need to. All they want is a raise," Poseidon said calmly. Zeus shook his head.

"They want more,"

"Like what?"

"Wouldn't say. But I just got a message from their leader asking to meet with upper management in two weeks," Hades said. He held up his phone. Poseidon read it.

I would like to sit down with the uppers on Monday in two weeks.

"We have to go," he said. His green eyes met the blue and dark gray of his brothers. "We have to keep this company up. It's taken so much work to get here," Zeus and Hades nodded. The brothers began discussing what to do.

-scenechangelinebreak-

A few miles away, Annabeth was brooding. She stared at her desk, brow furrowed in concentration. Malcolm walked in, studied her, and knew immediately what was up.

"You're thinking," he said. Annabeth nodded. "What're you thinking about?"

"Mom. How her pride and rules won't let me see my friends,"

"Are you gonna talk to her?" Malcolm asked.

"Most likely. I can't be alone. They're my friends," The siblings heard a door shut. Athena was home. Annabeth glanced at Malcolm, who nodded in encouragement. Annabeth went to her mother.

"Mom, can we discuss something?" Athena set her bags down.

"Sure, honey. What is it?"

"It's about my friends. I haven't been around them that much. You want me to succeed in life, but I can't. Not if I don't have a social life," Annabeth said. She went on to explain to Athena why being around her friends was likely more beneficial than being alone. She didn't tell her the real reason for this. She missed Percy. They were best friends, and probably the closest. If Annabeth had to stay with someone, she would chose Percy. There were no romantic feelings between them, just a near sibling relationship. Annabeth finished explaining and watched her mother. Athena finally nodded.

"Fine. You may hang out with your friends. But no getting involved with that Jackson boy, do you understand me?

"Yes, ma'am," Annabeth said. She grabbed her room key and dashed out.

"Where are you going?" Athena yelled.

"Percy's. Everyone is there!"

Little did she know that she was correct. The whole group was gathered in Percy's living room, watching The Lion King. Percy looked around. Frank had his arm around Hazel, who was resting her head on the big guy's chest. Reyna and Leo sat next to each other, having a conversation in Spanish, Nico and Thalia were making a list of how certain celebrities should die. Jason was asleep and Piper was staring at him. Percy nudged her shoulder.

"You're staring at him again," Piper glared playfully at Percy.

"I am not,"

"You totally are." Piper slugged his shoulder.

"Asshole,"

"I know," The doorbell rang. Percy got up and everyone craned their necks to see who it was, except for Jason. Percy opened the door to see… Annabeth.

"What're you doing here?" he asked, stepping aside to let her in. She noticed everyone actually was here.

"I wanted to hang out with you guys." she slipped off her shoes and walked in. When the group saw Annabeth, they all smiled.

"Hey, Annabeth," Thalia said, giving her friend a hug. Annabeth sat on the couch and Percy frowned.

"Uh, that's my seat," he said. His friend glanced around.

"Well, I don't see you sitting in it," she said pointedly. Piper moved over, closer to Jason, making room for Percy. He plopped down and resumed the movie. Annabeth glanced over. Percy's attention was fully on the television. She scooted closer. Alerted by the movement, Percy looked over. Annabeth met his gaze.

"What're you doing?" he asked. Thinking quickly, Annabeth came up with a response.

"I'm cold. And you're always warm,"

"Huh. Alright," Percy said. He pulled her close. She rested her head on his shoulder. Percy put his arm around her shoulders. Annabeth sighed contentedly. She was with Percy again. Piper looked over at the two. Percy caught her eye and gave a thumbs up. Piper returned it, then looked back at Jason. She sighed. Would her and Jason ever get like that? Jason stirred. He blinked awake, sat up, and yawned. When he noticed Piper sitting next to him, he gave a small smile.

"Hey, Pipes,"

"Rise and shine, Jace," Piper replied. She rubbed her hand on his back. Jason sighed and his back relaxed. He took her hand. Piper stared and Jason quickly let go.

"Uh, sorry," he said awkwardly. "I, uh, I shouldn't have done that," Piper sighed softly. She wanted to kiss him so badly, but they were in Percy's apartment. She felt someone staring at her. It was Leo, his brow slightly furrowed. He jerked his head slightly towards the front of the apartment. Then he stood.

"Hey, Piper! I need to talk t'you!" he said loudly and Piper shook her head at his antics. She got up and followed Leo. He led her to the foyer.

"What's going on between you and Jason?" he asked quietly. Piper buried her face in her hands.

"I don't know, Leo," she said, sniffling. "I still love him, but I don't know if he loves me back." Leo pulled her hands away. She looked at her best friend.

"Pipes, Jason does love you. I've seen the way he looks at you. You guys were forced apart and I'll be damned if you don't get back together." Leo put his hand on Piper's shoulder. "Don't worry about him." Piper nodded and hugged her best friend.

"Thanks, Leo,"

"No prob," Piper returned to Jason. When she sat next to him, he frowned.

"What'd you guys talk about?"

"Not much," Piper put her arms around Jason's midsection and rested her head on his shoulder. Jason pulled her in.

The movie finished and Percy stood up.

"Alrighty, what do you guys wanna do now?"

"Oh, I know!" Leo yelled and stood up. He grinned evilly. "Let's play… Truth or Dare!" A pillow slammed into his face and knocked him down.

"No!" Percy said. "God, no." An idea formed. He sent a text to Grover, asking him to come up. He agreed. A few minutes later, Leo and Grover set up Grover's Switch to Percy's television. Grover brought a few extra controllers.

"Alrighty, peeps. Smash tournament. Everyone plays." He tossed a controller to Jason, who grinned. Leo, Percy, Grover, and Jason sat down in front of the screen and chose their characters. Everyone else called out support.

"Have you ever played?" Jason asked Percy, who shook his head. Jason patted his back. "Good luck, then. Leo's gonna take you out first, I bet." Someone tapped Percy's shoulder. He turned. Annabeth leaned down.

"Good luck," she whispered and planted a small kiss on Percy's cheek. She smiled and sat next to Piper. Percy looked around. Leo seemed to be the only one that noticed. He nodded and gave a thumbs up.

They began the game. As expected, Percy was the first to go, followed by Nico. Leo ended up winning. They handed controllers off to the girls. Annabeth took it from Percy. She tried for a smile, but was obviously somewhat nervous. They began the fight, the boys yelling tips and tricks. Somehow, Hazel managed to win. The sudden sound of the front door shutting sent them into silence. Percy got up to see who it was. Sally, laden with bags from her trip, walked into the apartment.

"Hello, Per-" When she saw all of Percy's friends, she stopped. "I didn't know you were having friends over."

"Yeah, sorry I didn't tell you." Percy said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey, Jackson, you gonna introduce us?" Leo yelled.

"Oh, right. Um, Mom, these are my friends. Guys, this is my mom." Sally waved.

"What are all of your names?" she asked. The teens went around and said their name. When Annabeth said hers, Sally smiled. She looked at Percy.

"I like this one." Turning her attention back to Annabeth, she winked. "Keep him in line, will you?" Annabeth laughed.

"Of course, Ms. Jackson,"

"You can call me Sally. That goes for all of you." She began gathering her stuff when Jason, Percy, and Annabeth went over to help. Sally thanked them, though they didn't have to do this. The three were adamant and followed Percy's mom upstairs. They dropped their stuff in her room. Annabeth began talking to Sally. Jason pulled Percy outside.

"What's going on with you and Annabeth?" he asked. Percy sighed.

"I dunno, man. Right now, we're just friends. Nothing more. What happened in the past, it seems fake. Both of want to forget, but we just can't. Thing is, I really like her. I don't know if she likes me back,"

"Dude, she does. I can tell," Jason reassured. Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Have you been around Piper a lot?" he asked.

"No, why?"

"Because that's totally a Piper thing to say." Jason rolled his eyes as Annabeth and Sally walked out. Sally was dressed in a green and blue dress.

"Percy, your father is going to take me to dinner in a bit. I would think your friends need to go." Percy nodded.

"When will you be back?"

"Probably later tonight. Just try to go to sleep at a decent hour, would you?" Sally asked. Mother and son went downstairs. Percy's friends got the message and began leaving except Annabeth, who was asleep on the couch. Percy stared at his friend. Her blond curls were splayed out on the arm rest. Her face was relaxed and she snored softly. Sally watched her son. She could tell he had a crush. When Poseidon came back to pick her up, she dragged him out before he could talk to his son.

Percy tentatively reached out and combed Annabeth's hair. She stirred and Percy jerked his hand back. She woke up and frowned.

"What's happening?"

"Oh, uh, everyone left. You were still asleep," he said. Annabeth couldn't detect any lies, so she sat up. Percy was still standing, so Annabeth grabbed his hand and pulled him down to sit next to her.

"How long ago did they leave?" she asked.

"Not very," Percy answered. "Do you have to go?" Slight sadness laced its way through his tone. Annabeth heard it.

"Probably, but it's fine. I just wanna hang out with you,"

"Won't your mom wonder where you are?" Percy asked. He didn't want Athena mad at him. Annabeth pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her mom.

"There. Now she won't wonder." Annabeth set the phone on the coffee table.

"Now what?" Percy asked.

"Secrets," Annabeth replied. Percy looked confused.

"What?"

"We tell each other secrets,"

"Oh, okay. Uh, I'm scared of thunderstorms," he said.

"I used to want to be an owl,"

"I had a teddy bear named Mr. Tickles. He lasted all the way until eighth grade."

"I had exactly one Barbie doll. I burned it."

"Once, I ate some seaweed at the beach and liked it," Percy said. Annabeth blinked.

"Seaweed Brain," she muttered.

"What? Percy asked.

"You're such a Seaweed Brain," she said.

"Oh, yeah? Well, you're, uh, a Wise Girl!" Percy seemed satisfied with that name. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"That's not remotely insulting," she said. Percy shrugged.

"Eh, it's the best I could think of." They were quiet for a moment. Percy whispered something Annabeth couldn't hear.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said, can I tell you my deepest secret?" he said quietly. Annabeth tilted her head.

"Sure, what is it?" Percy mumbled something. "I didn't hear you, Seaweed Brain. Quit mumbling."

"I was abused," he said.

"You've already told me that, remember." Annabeth still couldn't believe that.

"I know, but I want to show you how badly," Percy said. Determination burned in his eyes, as though he wouldn't take no for an answer. Annabeth nodded.

"Show me," she whispered. Percy lifted his shirt over his head. Annabeth gasped.

White scars wrapped around Percy's body. His chest, abdomen, sides, back, and even on his arms were marred by knobbly tissue. Annabeth ran her hands across them, shivering in slight revulsion. She saw the 'X' he told her about. No words were spoken. She hugged Percy tight. Her hands brushed something on his wrists. She looked down. Two old slash marks on each wrist.

"Percy, you didn't," she whispered in disbelief. Percy nodded, his eyes threatening to spill.

"It got so bad. I wanted out. But I realized I would be leaving my mother alone and I couldn't do that." His voice was shaky. "It was so bad, Annabeth. The pain… it was like anything I've ever experienced. Be glad this didn't happen to you." He sniffled. Annabeth wrapped her arms around Percy's warm body. Her hands rubbed his back. His muscles shifted as he returned the hug. Annabeth pulled away. Her forehead rested on his. The sea green seemed dimmed, as though an ocean were sad. The tips of their noses brushed and she pulled back quickly. As she did, her phone buzzed. It was her mom calling. Annabeth answered.

"Hello?"

"Come home now. Dinner," Athena hung up and Annabeth sighed.

"I have to go," Percy nodded and pulled his shirt back on. Annabeth found herself wishing he hadn't. Because she wanted to be warm. Obviously. She walked to the door and hugged Percy again.

"Thanks for that," Percy said into her hair.

"Anytime, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth replied into Percy's chest. The elevator chimed, signaling Annabeth to let go and get on. The doors closed and Percy wanted her back. 

**Have I said how much I hate writing during this time period? Because I hate it. It feels off because its spring and warm and the story is in January/December. But I digress. A fair amount of reviews have asked/wanted the Pipercy thing to continue. So what I wanna do is write a fic that's basically this, but with Pipercy instead of Percabeth. I'm gonna put a poll up so y'all can vote. R&R! -RFA**


	15. Well that was unexpected

**I feel like this one is really short. Probably is but, whatever. IT'S HELLA IMPORTANT THOUGH!**

Many people celebrate a new year in multiple ways. This usually varies by region, culture, and country. In China, red is a dominant color, as the color of luck. Grandparents give their grandkids red envelopes containing money. In Russia, the celebration lasts a week. In the state of Ohio, one town lowers a fish. New York does the classic Ball Drop. The event is broadcasted across the country. And Percy was in the state it was held. He and his friends were at Jason and Thalia's for a party. Each year, the three brothers hosted a massive New Year's party and this year it was Zeus' turn. Poseidon, Sally, and Percy went together. Poseidon wanted to introduce Sally and Percy to the company. Which he had. Percy didn't think they liked him much, except Piper's mother, Aphrodite, one of the kindly HR managers, Hestia, and of course, Apollo. Everyone else regarded him with disdain, so Percy left to find his friends. They were gathered on the third floor of the apartment. There were way more than just his friends, though. When he got up there, Leo noticed him first.

"Aquaman!" he yelled. Everyone turned to look. Percy waved awkwardly.

"Um, hi," Annabeth walked up to him, the rest of the group in tow. She hugged Percy in greeting.

"Happy New Year's, Seaweed Brain," she said, beaming. Percy noticed how awesome she looked. Instead of her usual jeans and sweatshirt, she wore a gray skirt and pullover. It was basic, but Percy though she looked beautiful.

"Uh, yeah, you too. You look great by the way," he stammered. Piper tried to hide a smile. Percy glared at her.

"Hey, bro," Jason greeted. He gave Percy a bear-hug. "Drinks and food are over there. There's video games set up, if you wanna play. Movies are playing in another room."

"Thanks, bro." Percy said. The group dispersed. Percy noted Piper and Jason heading to the movies. Annabeth grabbed his wrist.

"I want you to meet some people," she said. So away they went. Percy met so many people, he couldn't remember all their names. He tried, honestly, but ADHD sucks. The ones he did remember were cool. The Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor, were playing poker with some other people and winning, though possibly by cheating. Percy pegged them as pranksters immediately. Clarisse La Rue, Frank's terrifying older half-sister, glared at him. Katie Gardner was busy mixing up the food in weird yet delicious combinations. Will Solace was the D.J. and was frantically adding songs to the queue. Percy put in a request for Immigrant Song. There were more, but Percy couldn't remember. Malcolm, Annabeth's younger brother, was discussing Star Wars with some people while playing video games.

"So that's everyone. Don't be worried if you don't remember them all," Annabeth said. "We really only see them at these kind of things. The ones I introduced to you are the ones who go to our school." Percy only half heard her. He was too busy staring at her hair. He blinked when she finished.

"Yeah, yep. Got it. Um, d'you wanna hang out?" he asked. Annabeth tilted her head.

"What do you mean?"

"Like we just stick together like glue. Because we're best friends and I barely know anyone and you're awesome." Percy explained. Annabeth laughed.

"Alright, Seaweed Brain. I'm sold." Percy grinned.

_Nice, now you gotta kiss her at midnight._

_I can't._

_Why?_

_She's my best friend._

_Uh huh. Suure._ Even Percy's own mind was skeptical. Whatever. Percy was gonna have fun, no matter what.

A few hours later, everyone was gathered in the main common area, watching the countdown on a projector screen. Annabeth dragged Percy through the crowd to the middle. The ball was beginning to lower as the final ten seconds began ticking away.

10…

"Never thought I'd be here," Percy said to Annabeth.

9…

"No one does New Year's like we do," Annabeth replied.

8…

"Back in Ohio, there's a city that drops a big plastic fish,"

7…

"Weird,"

6…

"I know right?"

5…

The ball was almost there.

4…

"This has been awesome, Wise Girl,"

3…

"Glad to hear that, Seaweed Brain,"

2…

Percy's heart beat so fast he thought it would explode.

1…

"Happy New Years!" everyone cheered. Percy watched as friends hugged and a few kisses. Piper and Jason began practically making out. Annabeth hugged Percy.

"Happy New Year's, Seaweed Brain," she said. Percy pulled back a bit and looked into her eyes. They began leaning towards each other. When their lips were centimeters, Percy swerved and pecked Annabeth's cheek.

"You too, Wise Girl,"

Everyone began heading downstairs to leave until Percy's group remained. They lounged on the couches, exhausted. Piper snuggled up to Jason, both seeming rather content. Frank's arm was around Hazel's shoulders. Nico and his new friend, Will, were sitting together discussing something. Percy leaned down to whisper to Annabeth.

"Twenty bucks that they get together within a week," he said, nodding at Piper and Jason.

"Deal," she said. They shook on it.

"What does the loser do?" Percy asked.

"Pay in full for a movie," Annabeth said. Percy nodded. He looked around the group and was surprised to see Reyna and Leo passed out, cuddling. He snapped his fingers for Piper's attention and pointed at them. Her eyebrows shot up. She elbowed Jason and gestured. His reaction was nearly identical.

"Do you see Leo and Reyna?" Percy asked Annabeth. Annabeth's jaw dropped.

"Holy shit. Never expected them together." She rested her head on Percy's shoulder. The group chatted for a bit until Percy glanced at his phone. A message from Poseidon was there.

_**Time to go**_**. **Percy stood.

"Gotta go. See ya guys later," Everyone said goodbye and Percy went downstairs, shrugging on his jacket. Poseidon and Sally were waiting for him. When he arrived, they headed home.

Sally was getting into bed when her hand hit something hard. Curious, she grabbed it and flicked on a light to see it. It was a small black box. She opened it.

A gold ring encrusted with diamonds shimmered brightly. A single emerald sat in the center.

Sally drew in a breath in disbelief. She slid it on. It fit perfectly. Tears of happiness sprang to her eyes. She walked to Poseidon's room and opened the door. Poseidon looked up from a book he was reading.

"What?"

"Yes," Sally said and kissed him. Poseidon pulled away, a bit confused. Recognition took hold and he grinned like a child.

"I love you, Sally,"

"I do too, you doofus. What're we gonna tell Percy?"

"I'll think of it. Wanna sleep in here?"

"Of course,"

Little did they know, Percy had his ear pressed to the wall, listening. When he heard his mom say yes, the smile on his face was so big, it hurt.

**I told you it was important. I'm sorry I haven't updated this in awhile, but I have written a lot, so expect more. R&R! -RFA**


	16. New School, Wonderful

**New chapter! Yay! I don't have much, other than read this. I highly recommend the song** _**Press Start**_ **by MDK. It pretty good. **

Sally left two days after New Year's to finalize the divorce with Gabe. Percy was going to miss her, but in three weeks, his parents would be getting married, and his mom and dad would finally be together. Percy didn't spend much time with his friends, as he had to take care of stuff for school.

The place he would be attending was Goode High School. It didn't seem that bad. Students had to wear a jacket issued by the school that showed off the school colors, orange and purple, an odd combination that somehow managed to work. Poseidon had gone to a few meetings with the principle and the two vice principals. This was the last one before Percy would be admitted. So he was dragged to a school in a different city on a weekend. Talk about cruelty.

Poseidon parked the car in front of the main entrance. Percy stared up at the brickwork facade.

"Neat. How bad is it?" he asked. Poseidon frowned.

"It isn't that bad, Percy. They have programs to help with ADHD and such. Like what you have." Poseidon got out and opened the door for Percy.

"So it's a glorified Xavier's Academy?"

"If you're wondering if there's mutants here, no, there is not. At least, not that I'm aware of." The pair walked up to the large oak doors. When Poseidon grabbed the handle, it opened. A short man smiled kindly at them. Percy sized him up. He wasn't short, he was in a motorized wheelchair. A frayed tweed jacket covered a white dress shirt and a hastily made tie. He smelled like coffee.

"Why, hello. Are you Mr. Olympiad?" he asked Poseidon, who nodded.

"This is my son, Perseus-"

"Percy. I don't like being called Perseus." Percy corrected.

"Percy Jackson." Poseidon finished. Confusion flashed in the man's eyes. It went away and he extended his hand.

"Chiron Brunner, Vice Principal. Just call me Chiron, I'm not big on titles. The others are in the main office." Chiron's wheelchair whirred down the hall, Poseidon and Percy following. They reached a door that Percy figured was the main office. No, he wasn't a genius. He just read the plaque, though his dyslexia made it look like "oiffce". Poseidon opened the door and the three filed in. Chiron led them to a conference room where three people were.

One of them was a pudgy, slightly overweight man. His eyes seemed unfocused and his nose was red. Percy immediately pegged him as an alcoholic. The second was a woman. Her glasses were perched on her nose and her high cheekbones gave her a somewhat canine look. The last was a man about his mom's age with salt and pepper hair. He smiled at Percy, as though he knew him.

"Hello, Percy. It's nice to see you in person," the man greeted. Percy frowned.

"Do I know you?"

"I doubt you would, but I knew your mother. We dated in college. My name is Paul Blofis." Paul stuck out his hand. Percy shook it.

"Blowfish, did you say?" Poseidon asked. Paul laughed.

"No, Blofis." The two shook.

"A shame. I quite like blowfish," Poseidon said.

"Yes, yes, we are all _very_ impressed by Mr. Bowfly's last name. Now, can we begin this and then end it? I have business to attend," the pudgy man said. His drawling, monotone voice made Percy sleepy.

"Oh, calm down, Dionysus," the woman said. She looked at Percy. "He's always like this. I am Ms. Lupa, your other vice principal." Ms. Lupa waved to two chairs. Percy and Poseidon sat down.

"I suppose I'm the one to start this. I am Mr. Dionysus Liber, and you will address me as Mr. D. There. Now don't expect anything else out of me," Mr. D said. He leaned back in a purple chair and promptly fell asleep. Chiron sighed.

"You'll have to excuse him. He acts like he doesn't care about the school or student body very much, but he has foiled multiple attempts by the school board to shut down this place. Now, Percy, you are transferring from Ohio, correct?"

"Uh, yes, sir,"

"No need for the 'sir'. Were you enrolled or homeschooled?"

"Enrolled. I went to McLatten High. I'm a junior now. Or would be, if I went there." Percy said sadly. He remembered the place somewhat fondly. He had been on the swim team there and gotten a state championship. It was where he met Luke. And of course, Rachel. The teachers were nice and so were most of the students. Percy was popular enough that he got invited to parties. Mr. Blofis said something that Percy didn't hear.

"Uh, what?"

"Did they offer programs for ADHD or dyslexic kids?" Mr. Blofis asked again. Percy nodded. "Then I'm sure you will recognize much of the same program. It's very solid and the kids in it are very nice,"

"Do you plan on any extracurricular activities?" Ms. Lupa asked.

"Swimming," Percy said immediately. Poseidon smiled.

"That's my boy," he said. Chiron raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, a swimmer, eh? We could use that,"

"Mr. Jackson, I have a copy of your old transcripts. You seem to maintain decent grades, though you should know that if two of you class grades fall to an F, you will be ineligible to swim," Ms. Lupa said. Percy nodded.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Poseidon said, putting a hand on Percy's shoulder. The meeting went a few more hours, during which Percy's classes were determined, and he was somewhat formally introduced to the school. When the meeting ended, Pau pulled Percy aside.

"How's your mother, Percy?"

"She's okay. Her and my dad are engaged. She's divorcing my step-dad and is gonna move here in a few weeks,"

"Well, that's good. It's been a while since I last saw her," Paul said.

"You said that you dated back in college?"

"Yes, we did. We were in the same creative writing class as freshman," Paul and Percy talked a bit longer while Poseidon chatted with the vice principals. Percy's phone began buzzing and his ringtone went off. He looked at it. The contact picture was a flame.

"I gotta take this." Percy got up and went to a deserted part of the hallway.

"Hello?"

"Ooohh, Jason! That feels so good!" Leo moaned. Jason said something Percy couldn't understand.

"Dude, what the hell?" Percy yelped.

"Oh chill, man. I'm messin' with ya. Listen, we're gonna have a party before school starts back up. When are ya free?"

"I think all week and the weekend,"

"Sweet," Leo's voice quieted. "Percy says he's good for this weekend!" His friend's voices came back inaudibly. "Saturday at five, at the Grace Place. Don't be late." Leo hung up. Percy pocketed his phone and went back to his dad.

"Let's go, Pops." Poseidon shook the staff member's hands and he and Percy left.

On the drive home, they sat in comfortable silence. Poseidon broke it.

"You're going to love it there,"

"You think so?"

"I know so. And I'm glad you want to join the swim team. Goode hasn't had a championship of any sort since my days." As Poseidon said this, he was cut off by another car. "Learn to drive, fucker!" Percy smiled at his dad's road rage.

"The group is having a party on Saturday, sort of like a back-to-school thing," Percy said. His dad nodded.

"You better have fun,"

-TIMESKIPTOSATURDAY-

Percy glared at his reflection in the mirror. Why wouldn't his hair _ever_ cooperate? No use messing with it now. He glanced at his phone, checking the time. Four forty-five. He headed downstairs, ready to go.

"Dad, I'm leaving!" he yelled.

"Have fun!" Poseidon yelled back. Percy went down the elevator to Annabeth's floor, making sure to thank Josephine as he got off. Annabeth's door finally came into view and Percy knocked. It opened and Athena stood before him. She looked at him and frowned.

"Jackson. I assume you're here for Annabeth?"

"Uh, yes, ma'am,"

"She's getting ready." Athena went back into the apartment and disappeared. Percy remained outside until Athena looked around the corner. "You can come in." Percy awkwardly walked in. He stood in the foyer until Malcolm noticed.

"Oh, hey, Percy,"

"Hey, Malcolm. Annabeth comin'?" Percy asked. No sooner had he asked that, then Annabeth appeared. She wasn't all dressed up, just jeans and a blouse, but she looked amazing.

"Hi, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth hugged him, much to Athena's displeasure.

"Be back by midnight, at least," Athena said. "Annabeth, you wait outside and Malcolm, to your room. I need to talk to Mr. Jackson." Annabeth shot a look at Percy, as if she were wondering what flowers would look best on his coffin and went outside. Malcolm scampered to his room. Athena turned to Percy and crossed her arms.

"I understand you have feelings for my daughter?" Percy blinked and started to say something, but Athena held up her hand. "I can't stop you from loving her, nor can I stop you from seeing her. Just know that if she is hurt by your hand, I will rain hellfire upon you. But if anyone else attempts to hurt her, I am trusting you to do what I would. She is everything to me." Percy smiled to himself. Athena sort of trusted him. That was fine. He nodded.

"I swear upon the Styx," he said. Athena tilted her head, the corners of her mouth turning up the slightest fraction.

"Good. May the gods bless you." She flicked her hand at the door. "Go. Have fun." As Percy left, Athena nodded to herself. "He's a good one."

Delphin the chauffeur pulled up to the curb. He turned to face his passengers.

"You kids have fun. If anything gets hectic in there, call me. I'll be in the parking lot," Percy smiled.

"Thanks, man." He got out, Annabeth following. She waved to the driver. The two headed for the door. Hebe smiled at them.

"Hello, Mr. Jackson and Miss Chase! Here for the Grace's party, I presume?" Percy nodded. Hebe smiled. "Well, go on up! I think most everyone is there, but I doubt they'd care." She opened the door to the Jupiter. Annabeth went in, followed by Percy. They made their way to the staircase and began the long climb up. They walked in silence for a bit until Annabeth broke it.

"What did my mom say?" Percy shrugged.

"The usual paranoid, over-protective mom stuff. "Don't hurt my daughter", blah blah blah," Annabeth chuckled.

"She's not over-protective,"

"Oh, excuse me. How's "helicopter" work?" Percy muttered. Annabeth laughed.

"That's perfect." They finally reached the top.

"Why stairs?" Percy grunted. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Workouts, Seaweed Brain, workouts,"

"Well that's stupid." Percy knocked and the door immediately flew open.

"It's about damn time!" Piper yelled. She hugged them, though she held Percy a bit longer. "Come on, come one!" They followed her into Jason and Thalia's apartment, where a party was in full swing. If possible, there were more people here than at the New Year's. Percy noted Will Solace was DJing again. As the music stopped, the worst thing, that could happen at a party, happened.

"Watch this short video to get thirty minutes of ad-free music!" Everyone groaned.

"Sorry! So sorry!" Will yelped. He turned the volume all the way down and hurriedly began another song on his phone. Percy lost it, along with Annabeth. Piper frowned.

"I thought Jason had premium… oh well. You guys can put your jackets in there." She waved to a side room and headed off into the crowd. Percy took Annabeth's jacket and tossed onto the pile. He took her hand and grinned.

"Come on," Percy led Annabeth through the people, but neither of them noticed two sets of eyes watching them. Those eyes belonged to a boy and a girl who were rather, entitled. The girl turned to the boy.

"Who was that hottie?" she asked. The guy grunted.

"And that chick?"

"Listen, Eeks, I'm going to get the guy away from her. I get him, you get her. Got it?"

"I dunno, Drew. These "plans" of yours never seem to work," Eeks said. Drew huffed.

"Oh, Ethan, my plans always work. Now, I'm going to draw that guy away and the girl will be all yours." Drew stood, adjusted her skirt, and walked off.

It didn't take her long to find Percy and Annabeth, as they were in the central part of the party, talking. She plastered on her best "sweetie" smile and walked up to Percy.

"Hey, there, hottie. I don't think I've seen you before. Are you new?" Percy frowned at her.

"Um, yeah. I've been here for at least a few weeks now." He glanced at Annabeth, unsure of what to do. Annabeth put her hand on his shoulder.

"Drew, this is Percy and he is _not_ one of your new toys." Percy raised an eyebrow at Annabeth. Drew scoffed.

"Oh, Annabeth. I seem to recall who is the queen of our school. Me." Drew leaned down and locked her gaze with Annabeth. "Get in my way or I'll step on you like the bug you are." Annabeth returned it.

"Seems like you forgot something, Drew. No matter how badly you think you can hurt me, I can always to worse." A small flame of fear flashed in Drew's eyes. She stood, winked at Percy, and disappeared into the crowd. Annabeth sighed.

"I hate her. She goes around the school, hitting on guys, sleeping with them and finding a new one every week,"

"I just met her and I hate her too," Percy said. Annabeth stood up and grabbed Percy's arm.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain. We're dancing." She pulled Percy into the not-so-big crowd. Percy wasn't sure what to do, so he just stood there while Annabeth began dancing. She stopped.

"You're supposed to dance with me Kelp Head." Percy frowned.

"That's a new one." But he obeyed Annabeth.

Through the crowd, Piper saw them. She grinned deviously and went up to Will.

"Slow song next." she whispered.

"Uh, why?" Piper pointed to Percy and Annabeth. Will nodded. He let a few songs go by before playing a slower song. People began pairing up. Percy looked around wildly. Annabeth snapped her fingers and Percy looked back at her.

"I'm right here, Seaweed Brain." Percy leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"I don't know what to do." She could hear the nervousness in his voice and she laughed slightly. She took Percy's hands and placed them on her waist. He held back until she moved them further.

"I won't bite you, dummy. You do that and I do this." Annabeth wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and stepped in. Their bodies were millimeters away. Percy's body heat drew Annabeth in until she was resting her head on his chest. The song continued, both unaware that Piper was watching them. She grinned to herself, then became sad. How she wished that would be her and Jason. For now, she could satisfy herself with Percabeth. A twinge of jealousy flickered in Piper's gut as she watched the two oblivious lovers slowly sway back and forth. Then and there, Piper McLean made a vow to get those two together. No matter what.

**Okay, so there's important crap to address.**

**1: Since Percy is gonna be going to Goode in a few days, and also because I can, I am currently open for TWO (2, DOS) OCs from you guys. Boy and Girl. PM me the details, like age, physical description, yadda yadda, and relation to the characters. Any of them are acceptable. Except Gabe, because fuck him, or Sally because she lives in Ohio. *!ONE SUBMISSION PER READER!* So let the PMs flow! More may be added by me or whenever I want you guys to. Credit will be given and I will reveal the winner in an update.**

**2: On a more serious note, I feel like the value or whatever of my writing is going down. I'm not quitting, it's like I feel rushed to update because I know people are reading this and enjoy it, based off the follows and favorite notifications I get. So there's almost like increased stress on my part as the writer to update. I have everything all written down in a goddamn notebook so I know exactly what to do. Getting it all to mesh together nicely is the hard part.**

**3: To that end, I will be allowing THREE people to be my beta readers. One requirement: you gotta be up-to-date on this story. Probably a given, but oh well. I will send you the writing and you review it. Plain and simple. Credit will be given on profile and story. PM me or comment. If you are interested, however, you cannot submit an OC. Betas will help me create/refine some.**

**4: I am currently creating a Riordanverse playlist on Spotify. Comment any songs to add and I will. The easiest way to find me and the playlist is by looking up **_Songs ^UPGRADED^ _**and clicking on the user, FireLord.**

**Whooooo, that was a lot! If you read all that, have a blue cookie! In all honesty, I love all you. -RFA**


	17. First Day, Worst Day

**Waddup, loozers? Here's a new chapter. Kudos to Team Aurora for giving me an OC that I really like. Her character is introduced in this chapter. If you want an OC to be in this, shoot me a PM! Criteria is in the last chapter.**

In the long course of humanity, many things have been created that could spell doom for our species. This particular morning, Percy was very sure that one of those creations was alarm clocks. The insistent, electronic beeping noise cut through his sleep. Percy opened one eye groggily and glared at the device. He slowly raised his middle finger at it and shut it off. Rolling onto his back, Percy slowly allowed himself to wake up. Once he was sufficiently awake, he rolled of bed. He trudged to his closet to find an outfit. Jeans and a sweatshirt would have to suffice. Percy fumbled with the shirt and when he finally got it on, he trudged to the bathroom. Of course he had unfixable bedhead.

While he was tiredly eating breakfast, Poseidon finally showed up. His father was wearing only flannel pants. Were the genes for a forest of chest hair passed on?

"Morning," Poseidon greeted. At least he sounded more awake. Percy grunted in response. "Not a morning person, I see. You got that from your mother." Poseidon said, smiling. He sipped from a shark shaped mug. "Athena told me that she wants you and Annabeth to go to school together. So finish getting ready and meet Annabeth in the lobby at seven." Percy glanced at the clock on the stove. He quickly ate the rest of his breakfast and got ready as fast as he could.

"You're late." Annabeth crossed her arms and glared at Percy. He blinked.

"It's too damn early, Wise Girl. And I am _not_ a morning person." Annabeth rolled her eyes and hugged Percy.

"Excuses, excuses. Let's go." She led him out to the parking garage. They navigated the concrete maze until the arrived at Annabeth's car. Percy tossed his backpack in the back seat and they drove off.

The ride to Goode was uneventful, save for a bout of early morning commute induced road rage on Annabeth's part. She parked the car and they got out. As they headed inside, Percy practically had to hurdle two freshmen wrestling on the ground. He sighed. Stupid freshmen. Annabeth grabbed Percy's wrist and she lugged him through the halls to where their friends were.

"Percy! Waddup!" Leo yelled. A girl Percy didn't recognize was standing beside him. Her hair was a bit darker than Annabeth's and way frizzier. She had ripped jeans, the right leg rolled up and exposing some anklets and her white tennis shoes. The jeans accented some slight curves. She wore a red flannel shirt over a gray tank top. Percy noted she held a black and white skateboard.

As they got closer, Percy noticed smaller details. Her eyes were green like his, but green like the Amazon jungle. Beautiful and simple on the surface, deep and deadly farther down. Leo said something and she smirked, her smile reminiscent of Percy's. She held up her hand for a high five from the mechanic who obliged.

"Percy, I found a new buddie for ya!" Leo said. "Percy, this is Sasha Kravitz. Skater, dancer, nerd, and aspiring astronomer." Sasha slugged Leo.

"I told you not to tell him that," she berated. Percy shrugged.

"Hey, no judgment. Space is awesome." He offered his hand and they shook. Her grip was abnormally strong.

"So you skate?" Percy asked, nodding to her board.

"Yeah. You?"

"Yep. What tricks you got?"

"I can pull off a backheel ollie, but I can pull off some amazing acrobatics." She fiddled with one of the wheels. All four were different colors. A scribbled note was written on the bottom, Leo's named scrawled next to it. Someone tapped Percy's shoulder. He looked the other way and there was Piper.

"Damn it, Jackson. You're supposed to look where I tapped you." She hugged Percy. "I see you met Sasha."

"Oh what am I? Chopped liver?!" Sasha yelled. Piper sighed and pulled in the skater girl.

"It's good to see you, Sash,"

"Yeah, yeah, spare me." Sasha's eyes flicked between Percy and Piper. It didn't take a genius to determine what was going through her mind. She though Percy and Piper were a thing.

A few minutes passed, during which the rest of the group showed up. Greetings were exchanged. They compared schedules. Percy was glad to see that he had last period, AP Biology with Annabeth. The group was split between the three lunches.

Fourth period lunch: Jason, Frank, Reyna, Nico.

Fifth period lunch: Percy, Leo, Piper.

Sixth period lunch: Annabeth, Sasha, Hazel, Thalia.

Finally the bell rang, signaling the five minutes to get to first period. Percy and Leo headed to their first class, geometry. When they arrived, the teacher wasn't in the room. They sat down at group in the back.

"So how'd you meet Sasha?" Percy asked. Leo smirked and began fiddling with a paperclip, bending it into shapes.

"She's a friend of Piper's. They met at a skatepark a few years back and hit it off. Turned out we all went to the same middle school. It was us three for awhile and then Jason and Thalia moved from California. I hit Jason in the face during dodgeball which somehow made us friends. He joined our group. Sash and I got closer as time went on because Jace and Pipes started hang out more. They both had crushes on each other, but Jason wouldn't do a damn thing. Since Sasha and I spent more time together, we ended up dating. We even slept together. She ended the whole dating thing, but we kept sleeping together. We both realized that was gonna go badly, so we reverted back to friends. Once we hit high school, she just kinda got looped into our group."

"How come I never saw her during break?"

"Her dad own a summer home in Texas. Why Texas, I dunno."

"Does he work for the company?"

"Nah, real estate." Percy was about to ask more, but the teacher walked in and Percy's first day began.

By the time lunch rolled around, Percy was starving. He had expected the teachers to go easy on him, but no such luck. The only one that had was his Social Studies teacher, Mr. Quintus. French had been a nightmare, as he was behind.

Percy entered the commons which doubled as the lunch room. A text from Leo told him to head for the center. Keeping his eyes down, Percy's gaze swept across the tables, searching for his friends. A carrot the side of his head.

"Aquaman!" A voice rang out. Percy turned in that direction and saw Piper, Leo, and Sasha waving him over. He grinned. Thank God he found them. Percy sat in an open seat next to Piper. Sasha grinned wickedly.

"Wha-" A loud snap ripped through the air and Percy found himself on the ground. A string attached to a bolt rested on the ground and the seat tilted at the ground. The gaze of hundreds of other students turned on him. Thinking quickly, Percy looked at Piper.

"You're right, Pipes. This one is broken!" he yelled. Piper laughed, along with quite a few other students. Sasha glared at Percy.

"You idiot, you weren't supposed to say that." Percy untied the bolt and fixed his seat.

"Too bad." He shrugged. Piper hugged him. She brought her lips to his ear and whispered some directions.

"Seventh period, get out at one twenty-two." Confused, Percy nodded. He opened his backpack and pulled out his lunch.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me." He held up the brown bag. A note was written across it.

_Percy_

_Have fun on your first day!_

_Love, Dad_

His friends busted out laughing.

" 'Love, Dad'! Aw, wittle Pewcy's a daddy's boy!" Sasha said through her laughter.

"I can't believe… your dad… wrote a… damn note! On you lunch!" Leo wheezed.

"Your dad clearly wants you dead!" Piper laughed.

Ha ha. Funny." Percy muttered. "Now shut up." His friends calmed down and they began eating.

A few minutes later, as Percy was happily munching through his sandwich, he felt cold fingers on his shoulders.

Uh oh." Leo muttered, looking over Percy's shoulder. Sasha glared at whoever it was.

"Fancy seeing you here," a silky voice purred in Percy's ear. Percy jerked away. Drew stood over him.

"What do you want, Drew?" he asked.

"I just wanted to see you. And welcome you to this fine institution." Drew attempted to take Percy's hand, but Piper grabbed it.

"Drew, quit messing with my friend. He's clearly not interested in you." she said sternly.

"Oh, look. Pocahontas is defending her boy-toy. Wonder if-" she was cut short by a pizza slice impacting on her face.

"I suggest you leave," Sasha stood, another slice aimed and ready. "Or else."

"Damn you. Damn you all." Drew ground out. She stalked away and Sasha sat back down. Leo raised an eyebrow.

"Nice aim, Sash,"

"Yeah, you can thank dodgeball for that," she said matter-of-factly.

The rest of the period passed without incident. When the bell rang, Percy headed to the gym. He walked in and saw Jason talking to one of the Stoll brothers, Connor. Percy walked over to Jason. Connor saw him coming. Percy mimed smacking Jason's neck and Connor gave an imperceptible nod. Percy raised his hand and delivered a good smack to the back of Jason's neck. Jason arced his neck and let out a yell. He turned and glared at Percy, who grinned.

"Fuck you, cuz."

"Yeah, yeah. You love me. Where's the coach? I need a shirt." Percy asked. Jason pointed while massaging his neck. The new student walked to the small office in the back of the gym. He knocked and the door flew open.

"What?" The gym teacher was a diminutive man. A blue baseball cap rested on his curly hair. His bright orange polo shirt made Percy blink a few times. For some reason, a Louisville Slugger rested on his shoulder.

"Um, hi. I'm new."

"Jackson?"

"Yeah. I need a gym shirt and also a locker." Percy said. The teacher huffed and began digging in some boxes.

"Size?"

"Um, large." A smelly, gray shirt wrapped itself around Percy's face.

"Now go tell Grace to share his locker." The door slammed shut. Percy blinked and went to find Jason.

"What's with the teacher?"

"Coach Hedge? I'm pretty sure he's pissed because most of the students are taller than he is." Jason found his locker and opened it. Percy shoved his bag in.

"Can you, like, turn around? I'm kinda self-conscious." Jason obliged. Even though he hated lying, Percy didn't want Jason to see his scars. Quickly, Percy changed. "Aight. Let's go."

Gym was boring. Since they had just gotten back from break, Hedge didn't have any plans, so he let the class do whatever they wanted. The boys shot hoops while the girls mostly stood on the sides, chatting. Percy noticed a few checking him out. A few girls joined in and a game of basketball began. Percy was on Jason's team. They lost because Connor brought a metal dart and hit the ball right as Percy took what would have been the game winning shot.

After the bell rang, Percy headed to his study hall. The monitor was a crotchety old man named Tantalus. Percy doubted that was his real name. When he arrived at the room, he headed for a desk in the back corner. The other Stoll brother, Travis, saw him and nodded in greeting. The bell rang and Tantalus took attendance. Percy tried to do some homework, but he couldn't focus. He glanced at the clock. Piper told him to get out at one twenty-two. She never explained why. The time passed agonizingly slowly. A few minutes before, Percy got a text from Piper.

Meet me by the second floor east bathrooms

Unable to stand it, Percy went up to the desk.

"Can I go to the bathroom?"

"I don't know. Can you?" Tantalus replied. Percy sighed.

"_May_ I go to the bathroom?"

"Yes." Tantalus replied, turning his attention back to his Sudoku puzzle. Percy walked into the hall. He headed for one of the back staircases and navigated to the bathroom. He saw Piper waiting, leaning against the wall.

"Hey. What's up?" he asked, folding her into a hug.

"Follow me." Piper grabbed his hand and led him through the maze-like halls. They stopped outside an old door. Piper opened it and slipped inside. Warily, Percy followed.

The small janitorial closet obviously had not been used in very long. Rust seemed to cover every surface. The dim, amber light made everything brown.

"Pipes. What is this?"

"What's it look like, dummy?" Piper grabbed his hand again and pulled him into a smaller corridor hidden in the shadows.

"Piper. What are you doing?" Percy asked, sternly this time. Piper cupped a hand on his cheek.

"Something I should have done a long time ago." She kissed him softly and pulled away just as quickly. Percy blinked.

"I thought-"

"That this ended. No, Percy. Well, maybe. But I need you." Piper's voice seemed a bit brittle, scared almost.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked gently.

"My mom. She hooked up. That guy she was fucking? It was Ares, Frank's dad. They're sleeping together. Sometimes I would go home and he- he would cuss at me, make me feel inadequate. Like I don't matter," her voice hitched.

"Pipes, you do matter. Ares is an idiot if he says that,"

"Thanks, Percy." Piper hugged him, her face buried in his chest. "I missed you so much." Percy threaded his finger through her soft hair.

"I did too, Pipes." Piper pulled back, staring into Percy's eyes.

"Kiss me, Percy. Like you meant what you said."

"I did."

"Then kiss me." Percy obliged. He closed his eyes. Goddamn, he missed this. Piper slid her hands under Percy's shirt. He sighed. As if automatically, Percy lifted her up. She was light, lighter than he expected. Piper took her hands from underneath his shirt and wrapped them around his neck.

"Wall." Piper murmured through the kiss. Percy pushed Piper lightly against the wall and she moaned softly. She grabbed a bit of Percy's hair and pulled him away. Both were breathing heavily.

"Let's see what's under this." Piper said. She pulled off Percy's shirt. In the back of Percy's mind, he thought she sounded like Drew. But she wasn't. Drew wanted the satisfaction, the pleasure of getting laid. Piper didn't. She simply needed Percy right now.

Piper gasped slightly when she saw Percy's scars.

"What… what happened?"

"Fights. I got in a bit of trouble back in Ohio." That seemed acceptable. Piper slowly pulled her shirt over her head. She pressed against Percy, kissing him again.

"I love you," Piper said softly. Percy grunted in acknowledgement as he moved his lips to Piper's neck.

"Yeah. Got that."

**Before you all try and murder me, I know what I'm doing. This whole Pipercy thing is important for plot reasons. Percabeth is in friend stage right now but it will advance, I promise. REVIEW! -RFA**


	18. Oh Gosh Golly Gee

***YAWN* Damn, updates have been slow. Sorry.**

The next few weeks passed in much the same way, except for a few things. He met up with Piper once every few days. They always did the same things: talk, kiss, talk, make out, back to class. It was routine and Tantalus never gave it much thought.

A new, much more noticeable change was Percy joined the swim team. The coach was a grizzled old man named Pontus. He disliked Percy at first, but a grudging respect grew after Percy began placing in the top five each meet. He won almost all of his races and the odds of him going to the state meet seemed likely.

This, along with the fact that he was new, sent him to the top of the Goode social ladder. His friends' status grew also, considering the fact that they were his friends. People began talking to him and girls began bashfully flirting with him. Percy ignored all of his suitors, only focused on Annabeth. Then, something bad happened.

His French grade began slipping. It seemed like no big deal until his geometry grade began to fall. A brief conference with Ms. Lupa, his dad, the two teachers, and Pontus reached the conclusion that until those grades went up, Percy would not be permitted to swim in any meets. He could practice, but no meets.

"Percy, you need a _tuteur, non_?" Monsieur Jones asked.

"_Oui, monsieur._ That's probably a good idea," Poseidon said. "Percy, any opinion on who?" Percy's answer was immediate.

"Piper McLean. She takes that class right?" The vice principal tapped a few keys on her laptop.

"Ye-es. She does. Highest grade, in fact. She'll be a good one. Do you know her?"

"Yeah, she's one of my friends."

"When do you 'ave a study hall?" Jones asked.

"Seventh,"

"And for your geometry grade. Anyone for a tutor?" Mrs. Pythagoras asked. Percy found it ironic that a geometry teacher was named after one of the inventors of the subject.

"I would suggest Annabeth Chase," Ms. Lupa said. "She had the highest grade last year and I know her personally. Mr. Jackson, I expect that your grades will be adequate in no time."

"Yeah, you're the best swimmer since your dad," Pontus said. "I'd hate for you to not be able to finish the season."

"So it's settled. Miss McLean will assist you in your French while Miss Chase helps you with your geometry. Thank you for coming in, Mr. Olympiad."

"Always a pleasure," Poseidon said. He shook each of the educator's hands. Percy went out to the car and waited. Just his luck. He was getting help from the two girls he was hung up about. Percy mulled over the situations with both of them.

With Piper, they were basically back to the semi-friends-with-benefits. There was no romantic attraction, just lust and need. Piper had stated that she simply needed Percy. She wasn't playing his feelings, nor was he with hers. They agreed that if Jason and Piper were to begin dating or Percy and Annabeth, they would end it. Admittedly, Percy had wondered on numerous occasions what sex with Piper would be like. But they weren't there. Not yet at least.

The situation with Annabeth was different. They were closest with each other in their group. Find Percy, you find Annabeth and vice versa. They hung out almost all the time. And Percy had crush on Annabeth. Small detail. A few weeks passed until finally, there was a reprieve.

It was the day before Valentine's Day and Piper was laying on top of Percy. They had just finished a rather nice "French Lesson". Percy could tell something was off about Piper.

"Pipes?"

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Silence settled like a blanket. Percy gently pulled his friend up so she was sitting on his lap.

"It's not nothing. Pipes, tell me what's wrong." Piper sighed.

"It's Jason. He-he asked me out yesterday." Piper's voice hitched. She gripped Percy tightly, softly crying. Percy stroked her hair.

"Hey, you're fine. I don't see the problem,"

"I didn't know what to say, so I said "Maybe." But if I go out with him, we'll have to end this. I care to much about you, Perce," Percy cupped his hands on her cheeks and stared at her.

"Piper, it's fine. Jason's a good guy. He's probably better for you than me. And in all honesty, you deserve him more than I deserve you." Percy's reassurance seemed to have the intended effect. Piper nodded sadly, then again with more determination.

"Alright. I'll go to his apartment after school." She stared at Percy's eyes. "Will you be okay?" she murmured. Percy pulled her in for a kiss.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." he said.

"Before I go to his place, come over to mine." she said and pushed him against the wall.

They left the closet for what would soon be the last time. Percy returned to his study hall and Piper to her AP Government class. When the bell rang, Percy headed to AP Biology. With Annabeth.

Percy trudged through the halls. God, public education was the _worst_. You have people practically sprinting to get to their next class, couples basically having sex in the middle of the hall, annoyingly large groups of freshmen that stop for no _damn_ _reason_, and people that feel the need to walk as slowly as possible. Percy sighed. Damn these people.

Hey, man. Heading to bio?" Jason said and fell into step next to him.

"Yeah, I will. If these people would walk faster." he said the last part loudly and directed it at a group of freshmen boys who were walking slightly slower than a snail. They glared at Percy and stopped.

"Okay, could you not?" Jason asked. One of them sneered.

"Nah," he said. Percy huffed angrily and pushed through.

"Don't stop in the middle of the fucking hallway," he snapped. The freshman grabbed his sleeve.

"Don't talk like that to me,"

"Dude, you probably play Fortnite," Percy said, already tired of this.

"It's fun!"

"It's dying," Percy jerked his arm from the kid's grasp and walked away with Jason.

"Stupid freshies," he muttered.

"Yeah." Jason grunted. He waved goodbye and went into his classroom. Percy stepped up his pace and made it into his class just as the bell rang. He made his way to his seat and plopped into it. He closed his eyes, trying to catch a few precious seconds.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain." A voice said. Percy grinned and turned around. Annabeth was leaning on the table next to him. She was wearing a gray hoodie and jeans. She looked amazing and beautiful and- Percy blinked.

_Dude, quit it._ He chided himself. _She's your best friend. Nothing more._

_Uh huh. Then why do mentally undress her?_

"Hey, Annabeth. What's up?" he asked. Annabeth shrugged half-heartedly.

"Not much. Ice cream later?" she asked. Percy nodded.

"Yeah. Need picked up?"

"Five o'clock." Their teacher went up to the front and Annabeth went back to her seat all the way across the room. Percy wished for the millionth time he sat next to her. Because they were friends. Obviously. And the other three people he sat with were so annoying and the girl he sat next to was nowhere near as good looking as Annabeth. Percy beat himself up.

"Guys, I really don't have much for you guys today. I know this week has been particularly stressful for the juniors, which most of you are, and yeah. Just try not to wreck my room," The class immediately began chattering. Percy jumped up and ran over to Annabeth. He slid into the chair next to her.

"Can you help me study for my geometry test after school?" he asked.

"Sure. Your place?"

"Why not?" Annabeth smiled.

"Can you drive me?"

"Of course. Best friends do that, right?" Percy grabbed a class laptop and began playing a game. The final bell rang and the class got up. They walked to Annabeth's car and passed the myriad of students in the halls. Nerds, jocks, gamers, the whole shebang. Couples making out where they thought they were hidden. Percy shook his head. Idiots.

When they reached the parking lot, they passed Jason's car. Piper was in it, talking to him. She noticed Percy and Annabeth and waved. Jason looked over and held up a peace sign.

"I hope they end up together,"Annabeth said.

"Wouldn't that be dandy?" Percy muttered. The two friends got into Annabeth's car and drove got into the car and Annabeth drove them home. When they arrived back at the Neptune, they went up to Percy's apartment. Percy set his stuff down on the floor and went to the kitchen.

"What do you need help with?" Annabeth asked from the living room.

"Trig!" Percy yelled back. He grabbed a bag of chips and a waffle.

"You're on trigonometry? That's easy stuff." Annabeth grabbed the chips from Percy's hands when he got back. She stared at the cold waffle. "Why the hell are you eating that?" Percy glanced from the waffle to Annabeth and back to the waffle.

"It's good," he said.

"It's cold!" Annabeth said indignantly.

"So?" Percy retorted. Annabeth rolled her eyes and munched on more chips. Percy finished his waffle and opened his math book. He scanned the pages, trying to make sense of it, but the math symbols danced around his vision. Sighing, he closed the book.

"Y'know, I used to be good at math," he said to Annabeth. She looked up from her Psychology essay and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, but then the alphabet got involved." Percy grinned. Annabeth blinked.

"Jackson?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut the hell up," Annabeth cracked a small smile. She reopened the book. "Alright, let's do this."

They spent a few hours studying and doing homework. Towards the end, Annabeth was working on her pre-calculus. Everytime she was thinking hard, she would bite her bottom lip and scowl at the problem, as if it was personally holding her back. Percy stared at her. She looked beautiful.

"Something up, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth's voice cut through Percy's mind. He focused on Annabeth's face which was now facing his.

"Uhm, no." A weak excuse.

"Really? Why were you staring at me?"

"I dunno. I think it's because of your hair," Percy said. Please buy it. Annabeth tilted her head.

"What about my hair?" Percy shrugged.

"It's cool. All shiny and yellow," Percy ruffled his own hair. "I kinda wish I was blond." Annabeth shook her head.

"No! I like it black!" She ran her fingers across Percy's scalp. His skin tingled. They locked eyes and Percy looked away.

"How do I do this?" he asked quickly, pointing to a problem. Annabeth took the hint and began explaining.

After a few hours and some ice cream, Annabeth left. Percy walked her down to her room. When he headed back up to his place, he called Piper.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"I can come over now,"

"Great! Is your dad home?"

"Nah. He usually doesn't come back until, like, eleven. And he told me that he had to go meet a client in North Carolina, so he won't be back until tomorrow night." Percy explained. Piper was silent for a moment.

"Alright, how 'bout a movie night?" Percy blinked. Movie? With Piper? Sign him up.

"Sure. Want me to bring anything?"

"A movie, duh. But no Nemo!"

"Ah, Pipes. You're killing me! I'll be over in a few,"

"See you soon!" Piper hung up. Percy went to the movie drawer and began rooting through the titles. He grabbed one that Piper was sure to like. It was one of his favorites, _Finding Dory_. Percy grabbed his jacket and headed down to the lobby. He went outside and began the walk to Piper's.

Percy didn't know it, but Piper was sort of nervous. Percy was coming over. Percy. Her pseudo-friend-with-benefits.

_Don't worry about it. You're just gonna watch a movie. That's _it. Even though she said it, Piper still doubted herself. Did Percy have feelings for her? An actual, solid crush? She knew she did. Ever since Percy had first shown up that day at the pool and rescued Leo. But what about Jason? She's known him forever. Piper sighed.

"Why is this so hard?" she asked herself. No matter what she told herself or Percy, no matter how much she thought about Jason stared at pictures of him, she ached for Percy. A knock from the front door sent her sprinting to open it. There was Percy, clad in his jacket. She quickly pulled him in before anyone saw him.

"Hey, Pipes," Percy said. He hugged her and Piper wanted to hold onto him forever. They let go and Percy shrugged off his jacket.

"I brought a movie," Percy said, holding up _Finding Dory_. Piper sighed.

"Really?"

"What? I like it. And it has Nemo in it," he said. Piper sighed which quickly devolved into a laugh. She took his hand.

"C'mon, Kelp Head. Let's go."

Just Percy's luck. Of course this would happen. When he opened the case for the movie, the disc wasn't in it. So Piper suggested scrolling through Netflix. Which was what they were doing. Well, it was actually Piper doing the scrolling and Percy was looking at memes and showing them to Piper every few seconds.

"Hey, hey, hey. Look at this one,"

"Dammit, Jackson! Are you ever gonna stop?" Piper said, though she did snicker at the meme Percy just showed her.

"Nope,"

"If I kiss you, will you stop?" Piper asked. Percy shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not."

"What are the odds?" Piper asked, setting down the remote, her voice soft. She stared into Percy's eyes. He held her gaze.

"Eh, maybe sixty-forty."

"Sixty on stopping?" Piper said. Percy smirked.

"More like forty on stopping,"

"I'll take those chances." Piper crashed her lips onto Percy's. He pulled her close. Piper pulled back a bit.

"Thank you," she murmured. Percy smiled.

"Anytime," He replied, his voice low. Piper though it was the hottest thing ever. She gripped Percy's shirt tighter.

"Bedroom," she murmured. Percy jerked back, startled.

"What?" he asked, his eyes wide with shock. Piper stroked his hand and laced her fingers with his.

"Bedroom, Jackson. C'mon,"

"Piper, no. I-I can't," Percy searched for a reason, an excuse. "What about Jason? And Annabeth?" Piper sighed.

"Just once, Fishsticks. We can put it behind us and forget it ever happened," Percy sighed. He stood reluctantly.

"Just once. That's it." They went up to Piper's room. She shut the door and locked it.

Percy didn't remember much, but he did remember Piper furiously kissing him as if the end of the world was at hand.

**AAAAAALLLLLrighty. What'd you guys think? Review I guess. And if you got tickets to go see Avengers: Endgame, prepare yourself. That's all. -RFA**


	19. Why?

**Gotta love it when the system is wack. Apologies for not updating.**

Percy woke up the next morning to an alarm clock. He rolled over to turn it off and ran into another person. What? He sat up to see who it was. It was Piper. Percy then realized that they were both very much naked. Oh. Right. That happened. Percy shook Piper slightly. She stirred.

"Whaddya want?" she asked sleepily.

"Alarm's goin' off. We gotta get ready for school,"

"Fuck school. We can call in sick," she said and rolled over, facing Percy. She traced her thumb along his cheek. "You were okay, Jackson." Percy smirked.

"You weren't so bad yourself." He laid down next to Piper and kissed her. They fell silent, but they both knew what had to be said. "Is this done?" Percy asked softly. Piper nodded.

"For sure. I don't want to hurt any of our friends. Or Jason. Or Annabeth. But yes. We're done." Percy buried his face in the pillow.

"Fine. I'm gonna change and fall back asleep," he said. Piper laughed.

"Whatever, Fishsticks. I'll call the school for you, then you call for me. Wait a bit after I call so it doesn't seem suspicious." Percy rolled out of the bed and pulled on his sweatpants while Piper delivered the fake call. When Percy called, Piper changed. They both got back in when Percy remembered Annabeth. He sent her a text saying that he wasn't feeling well and to go on without him. She responded and with that, Percy and Piper had the whole day to themselves.

They spent the entire day goofing around.

Percy loved it. Life was good.

-AWILDTIMESKIPHASAPPEARED-

A day after Percy and Piper slept together, they finally ended their "friends-with-benefits". Piper was now devoted to Jason and Percy still hadn't asked out Annabeth. The two still acted like friends, but they both knew there would be no more intimacy. That was fine. Percy didn't want Jason on his case. The group didn't know anything, except for Grover, who seemed very glad that the situation was over.

The group never found out and they never would.

Percy spent more time hanging out with Annabeth. They studied, watched movies, recreated old Vines, lounged, and talked smack. If someone didn't know better, it could have been assumed that they were dating.

Many thoughts of Annabeth raced through Percy's head as he tried to sleep. It was his study hall and he was damn tired. The sound of the door opening caused him to look up, half expecting Piper to walk in. It wasn't and Percy was slightly disappointed. It was just a regular office aid. She handed a pink slip to Tantalus. The monitor looked over it.

"Jackson, front and center." Percy got up. He took the slip. The box for the principal was marked. "Go." Tantalus ordered and went back to his Sudoku.

As Percy walked through the halls, he wondered what he did wrong. Surely nothing? Unless… unless someone found out about him and Piper… Eh, he could handle it. When he reached the main office, he opened the door and approached the secretary. She smiled in greeting.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, um, I got called down. By Mr. D," Percy said. The clacking of keys brought up the office schedule.

"I see. Jackson?" Her expression changed to sympathy and pity.

"He's waiting for you," she gestured to the door.

_Uh oh_. A sense of dread trickled into his gut. He pushed open the door. Mr. D was waiting for him, his hands folded on his desk. His expression was one of sadness and sympathy, not unlike the secretary's. Then Percy noticed his father. Poseidon was sitting in a chair. His nose was red and tears streamed from his eyes. He sniffled loudly.

"What happened?" Percy asked. Mr. D looked at him.

"Perseus," he began gently, "there's no way I can put this lightly. Your mother, she-"

"She's dead, Percy," Poseidon sobbed. Percy blinked and sat down in a chair. No. Not his mother. Not her.

The brightest light in his life.

His mother.

Dead.

Gone.

Forever.

**I am an EVIL person. In other news, I have begun the Pipercy fic. It's not mortal, but demigod. So yeah, keep your eyes peeled for when I post it. I wanna get to a good point in this before it gets published. OUT! -RFA**


	20. Double Whammy

**Sorry for not updating in...oh...a metRIC FUCKTON OF TIME. I had finals last week and I've also just been busy with life and updating my Pipercy story and writer's block is a BEEYOTCH. Oh well.**

Percy was allowed to stay home that week. No homework was needed from him. His friends came by his place often to check up. Nico offered the most counseling. He didn't know it, but Percy likely would have done something drastic if not for him.

Annabeth in particular spent the most time with him. They didn't talk much, just Annabeth allowing him to cry on her shoulder. She would softly comb his hair with her fingers, trace his back with her hand. Once, she spent the night with him. Poseidon spent that time figuring out details for the funeral and consoling his son. Admittedly, Sally and Percy were much closer than Poseidon ever would and he felt guilty. Poseidon had to keep a level head, though. If he lost his composure, it would not be good from him or his son.

The day came. On Friday night, father and son packed their bags for the trip to Ohio. Before they left, Annabeth came up to see Percy. Poseidon directed her to his room. Annabeth went up and opened the door. He was sitting on his bed, holding something small and didn't look up.

"Have you ever wondered why I always eat blue food?" he asked when she sat next to him. His voice was soft and laced with sadness, yet as loud as if he were talking normally.

"Yeah, kind of,"

"Before my fifth birthday, I told my mom I wanted a blue cake. Gabe heard me and said that blue food doesn't exist. My mom didn't argue, but that night we had pasta. Blue pasta. Gabe threw the bowl into the trash, along with mine and hers. He demanded that she make more. So she did. The dry pasta was blue too. Gabe went into a rage so bad, I had to stay at Luke's for the rest of the week. My mom stayed at a friend's and Gabe was nearly arrested, had the cops been called. But everyday afterwards, no matter what meal, the food was blue. Gabe turned the house upside down trying to find the blue food coloring, but couldn't find it," Percy gave a sad chuckle. "It was hidden in the floor beneath his armchair. Eventually, he gave up and got his own food. But I always admired my mom for standing up to Gabe in the dumbest way. I guess that's why I did what I did. So I could show Mom I was like her, able to resist Gabe. Guess I didn't do a very good job." Percy opened his hand. It was a bottle of food coloring. Blue. A note was written on the side, unreadable by Annabeth. Percy slipped into his pocket and stared at the floor. Annabeth rubbed his back

"That was brave of her," she said. They sat in silence until Poseidon called them down. It was time to go. Percy grabbed his suitcase and they went down to the lobby. The rest of their friends were waiting. Percy waved sadly to them.

"See ya guys," he said, smiling half-heartedly. Leo pulled him into a bear hug with everyone doing the same. In the middle, Percy chuckled. "Jeez, guys. I'm not going to war."

"Percy." Poseidon called. Percy reluctantly pulled away and nodded in good-bye.

"Back soon," he said and was gone.

Percy always knew he would be going back to Ohio. Not like this. They arrived in Percy's hometown eight hours later and checked into a small motel. The clerk offered his condolences to father and son which they took with gratitude. Poseidon had to leave almost immediately to finalize funeral preparations. Percy stayed back and slept. He dreamed of his mother, of all the memories he had with her. Her smile, her kindness. Everything.

The day of the funeral finally came. Percy didn't remember much, it was all a blur. The only thing he remembered was the dress his mother was wearing. It was green and blue, her favorite colors. The pastor said some stuff and her friends gave eulogies. Poseidon said a few words. The service finished and the procession went to the cemetery. Poseidon glanced at his son as the boy's mother was slowly lowered into the ground. The bright green eyes had lost their luster. Instead, they were dark green, sadness weighing Percy down. Poseidon patted his son's back. Percy pulled Poseidon in for a hug. Stealthily, Percy pulled the car keys from his father's pocket and slid them into his.

The reception was a blur of faces and sympathy. It was disgusting. So many people came up to him and said the same damn thing over and over.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Percy couldn't handle it, so he ran.

"Perc-" Poseidon called, but the slam of the church doors stopped him. Worried, Poseidon jogged outside in time to see his car peel away, Percy in the front seat. Quickly, Poseidon ran back inside and grabbed one of Sally's friends. He explained that Percy had left and his son was unlicensed. She nodded and they ran out to her car and started following Percy.

The tears made it hard for Percy to see the road properly. Wiping them away, Percy sniffled. It was too soon for her, too soon.

Percy didn't see the other car until it honked. He jerked the wheel to the side too hard. The sudden turn caused the car to flip over, rolling. Percy screamed as he was bounced around inside, his head smacking the sides. He felt his legs snap. The car rolled off the road and into a ditch. Somehow, Percy didn't pass out. But the pain almost did. He wavered in and out of blackness.

Black.

A man yelling into his phone for 911.

Black.

White and red lights and sirens.

Black.

Being pulled out.

Black.

Stretcher.

Black.

Helicopter.

Black.

Hospital.

Black.

**Another chapter will be posted soon. I'm gonna alternate updates for this and my Pipercy fic, too. This one will be wrapping up in at least eight/seven more chapters. So yeah. Review! And sorry for not updating sooner. -RFA**


	21. Feelings for 500, Alex

**Another update after a looooong while. Oops.**

Poseidon paced the hall outside Percy's hospital room. The doctor was inside, checking on his son. If he had to bury not only his love, but also his _son_, it would be too much. The door opened and the man stepped out.

"Doctor Asclepius, is he okay?" Poseidon asked immediately. The doctor nodded.

"He'll live. His injuries are bad, however. Both legs are broken and he has a concussion. Multiple rib breaks and his insides were messed up. We may have to do a small surgery to fix the ribs. Does he do any sports?"

"Swimming,"

"He's likely out for the season. However, after a few weeks, physical therapy will be needed to help him get back into shape. Do that in a pool to get him back to speed,"

"Is that all?"

"Yes, I believe so. You can go in." Poseidon thanked the doctor and went into Percy's room.

The beeping of the heart monitor was about to drive him insane, but Poseidon ignored it. He knelt next to his unconscious son.

"Percy, I don't know if you can hear me, but please. _Please_ wake up. Please be okay. I-I can't lose you too." Poseidon put his forehead against the bed and allowed a few tears before standing up. He had a call to make.

The group was at the Neptune in the cafe. The mood was somewhat depressing. They all had met Sally and the kindly woman had grown on them.

"D'you think he's okay?" Sasha asked, breaking the silence. Almost subconsciously, everyone looked to Annabeth. She looked up from her drink.

"No, he's not okay. His _mom_ died guys. He's gonna be wracked with guilt and-" She was interrupted by her phone ringing. It was a random number. Curious, she answered it.

"He-" she began.

"Texas Crematorium, you kill 'em, we grill 'em-ow!" Leo was cut off by Piper smacking the back of his head.

"Hello?" Annabeth said, glaring at the Texan, who seemed quite pleased with himself.

"Annabeth?" The person asked. "It's Poseidon."

"Oh, hello, Mr. Jackson. What's up?"

"Is everyone there? All of Percy's friends?" Poseidon asked. Annabeth looked around. Dread settled over her like a blanket.

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Put me on speaker." Mr. Jackson ordered. Annabeth obeyed.

"Okay, you're on."

"What's wrong?" Jason asked.

"It-it's Percy. The funeral was too much for him to handle, so he took my car keys and-and he didn't see the other one and-"

"Is he dead?" Leo asked. This warranted another smack, this time from Reyna.

"No, not dead. He's hospitalized." Anything else he said was cut off when Annabeth ended the call, grabbed her bag and left. She ran up to her apartment, grabbed her keys, and went back downstairs. Jason stopped her as she went by the group.

"Annabeth, where are you going?"

"I'm going to Ohio. Alone." She pushed past Jason and went to her car. A few minutes later, she was muscling through New York traffic to get onto the highway.

Eight hours later, she arrived in Columbus. Following the GPS, she parked in front of the hospital. Annabeth ran inside and to the front desk.

"Where's Percy Jackson?"

"Slow down, sweetie," the receptionist said. "Who are you and what's your relation to the person."

"I'm Annabeth. Percy is my-" She stopped. What was Percy to her? "My boyfriend." The lady nodded and tapped a few keys.

"I see. He's in the ICU. Head down the left hall until you see another desk. Ask for directions there." Annabeth nodded in thanks and took off.

When she got to the waiting room, she was surprised to see Poseidon there. He stood when Annabeth walked over, but was surprised when Annabeth threw her arms around him. She let go after a moment.

"Where is he?"

"Come with me," he said. The older man led her through the halls and up a few stairs until they stopped outside one door. "He's here." Poseidon said in a whisper. Annabeth pushed open the door.

Percy lay inert. His eyes were closed and one was dark purple. His arms were covered in bruises. Both legs were wrapped in casts. His body was bound in gauze and bloody patches spotted the white bandages. Annabeth drew a shaky breath. She pulled a chair over and sat. Tenderly, she stroked Percy's jet black hair. It was soft.

"You seaweed brain. I've told you so many times, never _ever_ jerk the wheel quickly. This is why," Annabeth drew in a shaky breath. She was thankful that Percy wasn't dead. Annabeth took Percy's limp hand. She squeezed it. "Wake up soon, Percy." Annabeth stood and pressed a light kiss to Percy's forehead. She scooted back and could have sworn a small smile spread across Percy's lips.

Athena unlocked her apartment door to find her son scampering around, a suitcase open and filled with clothes.

"What are you doing?" She asked. Malcolm jumped when he heard her. He straightened up.

"Packing," he answered. Athena frowned.

"Why?"

"Too much time to explain." He replied. Grabbing his earbuds, Malcolm attempted to push past his mother, but she grabbed his arm.

"Oh no, you don't, mister. Explanation. _Now._" Athena said, sternly. Malcolm sighed.

"You know how Mrs. Jackson died, right?" Athena nodded. She remembered that day. Poseidon had been a train wreck.

"Yes, why?"

"Well, apparently, Percy freaked out during the funeral and stole his dad's car. He wrecked and got sent to the hospital. Mr. Olympiad called Annabeth and she left as soon as she got the call." Athena blinked.

"You mean to tell me that my daughter drove _eight hours away _without my knowledge?" Malcolm nodded. Athena sat down heavily. She stared at her son. "I'm assuming her friends are going there and you're going with them?" Malcolm nodded again. Athena sighed. "Go. Be safe. Call me when you get there." Malcolm grabbed his suitcase and ran out the door. Athena pulled out her phone and dialed Annabeth's number.

"Hello?" answered Annabeth.

"Is he okay?" Athena asked.

"Yes, Mom, he's okay. The doctor told me that he's gonna be out for a few hours."

"What happened?"

"Car crash. He started drifting into the other lane and almost smashed into the other car. Unfortunately, to avoid it, the seaweed brain jerked the wheel and rolled into a ditch. He almost died, Mom," Annabeth's voice hitched at "died".

"Honey, answer me honestly," Athena paused. "Do you have feelings for Perseus?" Mother and daughter were silent. Annabeth was surprised by the question while Athena held her breath, waiting for an answer. Finally, Annabeth answered.

**Don't you just looove cliffhangers? Leave Me Be update is soon.**


	22. Similarities

**Hello all. Me again. As you can see, I am not dead. Obviously.**

leaned over Leo's shoulder and looked out the windshield. Why had they left so damn late? It was the middle of the night and Leo had been driving for six straight hours. At some point he was going to conk out.

"I'd appreciate it if you weren't breathing into my ear," Leo said, not looking away, despite the fact that there were few other cars. Piper backed off a bit.

"Leo, you need to let someone else drive," she said. Leo glanced at her.

"Who else would drive?" he asked. Piper looked back.

All their friends were asleep. Hazel and Frank were snuggling, Sasha was spread across two seats, Jason was snoring and drooling, Thalia was holding her brother's wrist, Reyna was shifting constantly in the passenger seat, and Malcolm Chase was dead asleep in the back.

"Me," she said.

"While I appreciate the gesture, Beauty Queen, no one drives Festus except me," Leo said, rubbing the steering wheel. "Festus is my boy." Piper rolled her eyes.

"Leo, you're not fooling me. You don't want anyone else to drive because you feel horrible," Leo didn't say anything. Piper pressed on. "You and Percy are nearly the same. You two have the same damn personality. Annoying, sarcastic, funny, trouble-makers. But it's also because Percy was in a car accident." Leo was still silent. Piper sighed and leaned back. She stared out at the dark landscape as it flew by.

"There's another reason," Leo whispered. Piper leaned forward again. "It's because of our moms." Piper remembered Leo's mother. She was like Percy's, only more attuned to mechanics and technology. She made killer tacos.

"How so?" Piper asked.

"Remember how mine died?" Of course Piper remembered. It was seared into her memory. Leo tried to stop the memory, but it was too late.

_They were at the park. Piper and Leo. Two twelve year olds playing without a care in the world. The park was a few blocks from Esperanza's auto-shop in Harlem._

"_Try to catch me, Leo!" Piper yelled. Leo grinned. This would be easy. He took off after his friend. Leo chased her around the playground and onto the grass. He tackled Piper and they fell in a heap, laughing._

_Their fun was interrupted by sirens. Leo jumped up as a fire truck blew by, heading for a black column of smoke. More emergency vehicles followed._

"_C'mon, Tía!" Leo yelled to his babysitter, Tía Callida. The old woman groaned and muttered curses as she followed the two children. They went out to the street and headed for the smoke. Leo's gut began twisting as he recognized the shops as they got closer. Piper noticed his discomfort._

"_Leo? What's wrong?"_

"_I think… we're near my mom's shop," Leo broke into a sprint, ignoring the yells of Piper and Tía. He rounded a corner to see a sight no child should ever see._

_His mother's shop, their home, engulfed in flames. Black smoke billowed from the windows and curled into the sky. Leo pushed through the crowd and up to the police barrier. He ducked under and started running towards the inferno when he was yanked back._

"_Stay behind the barrier, kid!" The police officer yelled._

"_My mom is in there!" Leo screamed. He began crying. A nearby fireman heard his yells and walked over. He took off his helmet._

"_Is that your home?" he asked. Leo sniffed and nodded. "Was your mom in there?" Leo nodded again. The fireman wrung his hands. "I don't know if we've found her yet, but-" He was interrupted by shouting. Two firemen were charging out of them smoke and flames carrying a charred body. They placed it into a body bag and shut it in an ambulance. The fireman looked back at Leo, an expression of sympathy and horror on his face. The two knew who it was._

_Leo's mother._

A tear leaked out of Leo's eye as the memory faded. He pressed on the brake and pulled over none to gently and turned off the car. Everyone was startled awake. Leo got out and walked around.

"What's his deal?" Sasha asked.

"A memory," Piper said. Her friends were confused until Jason's eyes went wide.

"His mom?" he asked. Pipere nodded. Reyna got out and went over to Leo. She pulled him into a hug. The group was silent as they watched.

"Shit," Sasha whispered. "What happened?" Piper sighed.

"I was trying to convince him to let me drive, but he wouldn't. I knew he and Percy shared a kindred spirit, so I pretty much did an examination on him. I guess he related to Percy in another way. Their moms are dead." The group was silent. Not all of them knew Esperanza Valdez but Leo had spoken about her so often, it was like they knew her.

After a few more silent moments, Leo and Reyna climbed back in. Leo was about to start the car, when Reyna stopped him.

"Leo. Let someone else drive." she said. Leo looked back.

"Pipes. Get up here." They traded seats, along with Reyna and Jason. As soon as Leo was comfortable, he fell asleep. Piper started the van and they began the rest of their journey.

**I felt like this story needed a "Leo Moment", so this little diddly was birthed. I'm working on another chapter because I feel bad for not updating this in so long. Heads up: I won't be updating from July 9- July 29. My family is going on vacation, but then when we get back, I'm going to a summer camp. If I have a chance to update, I will. -RFA**


	23. The Only One Needed

**You know how when you gotta do work and it's been nagging you since forever ago, but you never got to it? Yeah, that's how I was.**

As soon as Annabeth got the message that the group was there, she ran down to meet them along with Poseidon. It was nearly six in the morning. They all looked exhausted, especially Piper and Leo. Poseidon led the weary teens through the halls until they came to Percy's room. Poseidon quietly opened the door. The nine teens gasped at Percy's condition. He looked better from when Annabeth had first seen him, but he was still hard to look at. Piper gently pulled Jason over. She knelt by the bed and traced a finger along Percy's bruised face.

"Wake up, Jackson," she whispered. "Some shit is about to go down." She stood back up and walked over to Annabeth.

"We need to talk," Piper said. Confused, Annabeth followed her friend out of the room and down the hall. Piper heaved a sigh.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this but…"

"But what?"

"Annabeth, Percy and I slept together." Piper said. Annabeth was quiet, staring everywhere except at Piper.

"What do you mean, slept together?" Annabeth asked finally in a rather terrifying voice. Piper sighed.

"We had sex, Annabeth," Piper wasn't sure why she told Annabeth this, but it needed to be said. "We were forced apart from the people we cared about and found each other. It was a moment of need, not so much an attraction to each other."

"Was… was it just one time?" Annabeth asked quietly, trying not to cry. Piper nodded. Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief and sat against the wall.

"If you're mad, I don't blame you," Piper said. "We just… we really needed each other." Annabeth nodded.

"I get it. It'll take time to get over this though,"

"Annabeth, I- I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay, Piper. I'm not mad, just a bit surprised. He's gonna get a talking to when he wakes up," Annabeth's voice hitched a bit. "If he wakes up." Piper put her hand on the other girl's shoulder.

"He will." Annabeth wiped her eyes.

"I just- I can't stand the thought of him not being awake, not knowing we're here."

"Annabeth, answer honestly. Do you like Percy?" Piper asked, trying to calm her friend's nerves. Annabeth hesitated.

"Yes. I do." Piper nodded.

"He does too, you know. Whenever we were together, he would always talk about you." More might have been said, but Leo interrupted.

"Guys! He's awake!" The two girls dashed into the room.

Percy was indeed awake. The bright lights of the room caused him to squint. His friends and father were gathered around him. It felt crowded. He weakly gestured for them to move away to no avail. Then he saw her.

Annabeth.

Her blond hair flowed down from her head, flying behind her as she ran to his side.

"Percypercypercy. Oh my god." Annabeth fell next to him. The others took a hint and walked out. Percy turned his head to look at Annabeth. He stared into her eyes and she stared back. Percy lifted a cast-covered hand and lightly brushed Annabeth's cheek. He smiled weakly. Annabeth covered his hand with hers. She smiled through tears.

"Seaweed Brain." she said. Percy rolled his eyes. He mimed typing on a phone and pointed to Annabeth's pocket. Annabeth opened a notepad and handed it to him.

**I'm so glad you're here**

"Of course I'd come here, silly."

**I was scared you wouldn't**

"Why wouldn't I?"

**Because of what I've done**

"You haven't done anything wrong,"

**Yes, I have. Piper and I, we-**

"Percy, Piper already told me. I know what happened. It's okay."

**I felt bad about it**

"Why?"

**I felt like I was cheating on you**

"What?"

**I love you, Wise Girl. That's why**

Annabeth stared at the words, then at Percy. She didn't say anything for a moment.

"I love you too, Percy." Annabeth leaned over and placed her lips on Percy's. It wasn't like the hot tub or their secret one. It was real, it was genuine, and both of them needed it more than they wanted to admit.

Annabeth pulled away, smiling. Percy beamed. Neither of them had really realized how much the other mattered. After Percy nearly died, Annabeth knew that she would do anything to be by his side. No matter what.

A few days later, Percy was released from the hospital. His right leg was broken in three places, two along the shin. His left leg was better, only a fractured ankle. His arms fared better, healing within a day. There were a few legal things to take care of since Percy had been driving unlicensed. No charges were pressed and the guy that Percy nearly collided with felt horrible. He had offered to pay all the expenses, which Poseidon and Percy politely declined. The day Percy left, Poseidon would be taking a private jet back and offered the group if they wanted to fly with him, but they declined. The doctor told Percy mostly positive news, except for one thing. He couldn't swim for the rest of the season. Percy took it well.

Leo pulled Festus up to the curb and opened the door for Percy.

"For you, sir." Leo said, bowing low. Percy rolled his eyes and got in. Everyone else followed. Leo started the engine and drove off. He glanced at the GPS.

"ETA will be 10:38 tonight, folks," he stated. "Could make it earlier if I push the limit."

"Dude, don't do that," Jason reprimanded. "That's illegal."

"Jace, in Ohio, we do driving way different. Most cops will allow five over." Percy said. Hazel raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"You're allowed to speed?" Her statement was on everyone else's minds. In New York, the speed limit was strictly enforced. No speeding. Ever.

"It's because all that's here is farmland." Percy said, gesturing to the corn fields going by. Malcolm looked out.

"That's a noice cornfield," he said in an odd voice. "That's a noice fookin' cornfield." Everyone stared at him.

"What did you say?" Thalia asked. Malcolm blinked.

"I said that's a nice cornfield."

"Annabeth, can you make your brother shaddup?" Thalia said. Annabeth looked from Malcolm, to Thalia, and back to Malcolm.

"Nope!" Malcolm smirked at the angry girl, which elicited a raised hand in warning. He shrunk back, much to the amusement of the others. Annabeth took Percy's hand.

"I'm glad your better, Seaweed Brain," she said, smiling.

"Me too," he said.

Many hours and multiple bathroom stops later , Leo pulled up to the front entrance of the Neptune. Annabeth hopped out to help Percy. She opened the doors and Percy fumbled with his crutches. He got out easily and thanked Leo. The two said goodbye and walked in. Triton nodded in greeting and opened the main door. Percy hobbled inside, Annabeth behind him. They were stopped by none other than Athena. She stared at them. Annabeth reflexively grabbed Percy's hand. Her mother looked down at their intertwined hands.

"I believe I owe you an apology," she said. "While I may not fully approve of you Perseus, I am allowing you to be with my daughter. Do not hurt her." Her piece spoke, Athena walked away. Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief. Percy let go of her hand.

"Let's go," he said and headed for the elevators. Percy had nearly died. Who better to recover with than Annabeth?

**I'm gonna say this now: Percabeth is now active. No more Pipercy. Four more chapters left for this. Review! -RFA**


	24. New Beginnings

**Hi. I... have some explaining to do. But right now: enjoy this short continuation. :)**

Percy lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Hearing the door open, he looked up and was promptly hit in the face with a juice box. Annabeth stood in the doorway, smirking.

"Ow," he said and threw the juice box back. Annabeth caught it and walked over, stabbing the straw through the foil covering.

"You need fluids," she said. "I'm not gonna have you dying… again." Annabeth pushed the straw to Percy's lips, forcing him to drink.

"I'm not sick, ya know," he muttered. " My legs are just broken."

"True, but if you aggravate them too much, they'll never heal," Annabeth said. Percy rolled his eyes and shifted to get off the bed. Annabeth sighed. She loved Percy, but he was too stubborn. He grabbed his crutches.

"I'm bored. C'mon." Percy hobbled out of his room, Annabeth close behind. Poseidon was in the living room watching the news. A reporter stood in front of an apparent murder scene.

"Who died?" Annabeth asked. Poseidon shrugged.

"Some English teacher," Poseidon said, indifferent. Percy frowned, feeling a shiver run through his body.

"What was his name?" he asked.

"They haven't said," Poseidon said. As Percy was about to ask another question, the reporter delivered chilling news.

"I've just been informed that we now have the identity of the victim. Thirty-eight year old Paul Blofis." Percy's eyes widened and breathed out in fear.

"Shit," he whispered.

"You okay, Perce?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Percy replied. "Dad, that's my English teacher." Poseidon turned.

"He is? I'm… I'm sorry,"

"It's fine, but Dad, he knew Mom. They used to date and were friends," Percy said. "I need to go the cops." Percy turned and began heading for the elevator, Annabeth close behind.

"Why?!" Poseidon yelled.

"Because I think I know who killed Mom!" Percy yelled back.

Percy and Annabeth ran for Annabeth's car parked outside the Neptune.

"Do you know anyone good with computers?" Percy asked, throwing his crutches into the backseat.

"If you want a computer whiz, my friend Quintus is the guy." Annabeth replied, starting up the car and driving away

"Do you know where he lives?"

"Kinda? I know the general area. He lives in the outskirts of the Bronx,"

"Way out there?"

"Yeah. He fell down on his luck about fifteen years ago. He used to work for the NSA and CIA in cyber intelligence, though." Annabeth said, weaving through alleyways.

"Used to?"

"Yeah. He got fired after he tried to hack into the president's computer to expose him for something. I don't remember what it was, exactly, but it was big. After a few years on the run, he finally managed to live way, way under the radar. But he's a genius." Percy decided to take Annabeth's word for it and stared out the window.

About thirty minutes later, Annabeth pulled to a stop outside an old warehouse. As he got out, Percy frowned.

"You sure this is the place?" he asked. Annabeth nodded.

"I came here a few times before. Knowing Quintus, he'd likely stay in the same place. He does move around from time to time, but he usually stays here. I think he likes it here." Percy nodded and headed for the warehouse. The big door in the front was closed off with metal sheets welded to the sides. Annabeth led Percy to the side and pressed a button.

"Look at the camera," a voice said. Confused, the two teens looked around for a camera. "It's to your left, on the ground." The voice said, exasperated. Percy spotted it first and pointed at it for Annabeth. A second passed. Suddenly, a clattering sound rang from behind the wall and a hidden door opened inward.

"You may enter now," the voice said. Percy went first, Annabeth close behind, into a dark room. The door hissed shut, sending them into darkness. Blinding fluorescent lights flicked on and then shut off just as quickly. Another door opened, this time into the warehouse itself. An aging man, seemingly in his fifties, stood before them. A huge black Rottweiler sat behind him, snarling.

"Annabeth Chase," Quintus resignedly said. "What do I need to do this time? Change your grades? Uncover corruption?" Percy frowned at what Quintus had said. Changing grades? Uncovering corruption? Percy realized that there was a lot about Annabeth that he didn't know.

"Nice to see you too Quintus," Annabeth said quickly, cutting him off. "I don't need your help this time, but my… friend here does." Annabeth said, gesturing to Percy. Quintus scoffed.

"How dense do you think I am? That boy is clearly your boyfriend."

"Hey, 'that boy' has a name, dude. My name is Percy Jackson. And I need your help,"

"Obviously you need my help, otherwise you wouldn't be here. Come along then. Mrs. O'Leary, heel!" Quintus said, heading farther into the warehouse. Percy and Annabeth shared a look and followed the eccentric old man.

Gabe sat in his hideout. Beer bottles and cans littered the floor. He twirled a large combat knife between his fingers before flinging it into the wall. Grunting, he stood and headed for his office. Had anyone been with him, they would have thought he was drunk out of his mind. However, that could not be farther from the truth. Gabe was completely sober. He stared at an article on his desk. It explained how a local business man, Poseidon Olympiad, apparently had a kid who was now living with him. Gabe snarled. He was going to kill Percy Jackson.

**Okay, so I obviously have some explaining to do. A few weeks ago, I was falling asleep when I was hit with a thought: I should continue this story. I was always really dissatisfied with the way I ended it and after a few days of intense writer things*just flipping my shit*, I decided to give it a go. I was reading through all the reviews and looked at the stats from this thing's heyday and I was just like "Holy shit, this thing was my most popular story." Like, this was my baby when I was writing it and I absolutely hated myself for just ditching it. But now that the goddamn coronavirus has now given me the time, might as well make the most of it, right? I'm going to post more and I have a solid direction of where I'm gonna go with this. So strap in, peeps. We're going back in.**


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